HOUSTON – Having survived a tough race during President Donald Trump’s first term, Sen. Ted Cruz urged Texas Republicans Friday not to take Democrats for granted in a November election that has national implications.
Cruz reminded delegates at the state GOP convention that many Republicans assumed Texas was safely red in 2018, only to watch Democrats come closer than expected to winning statewide office.
“Texas is still a battleground,” he said on the convention’s closing day. If Democrats can win Texas, he said, “they can dominate the country for the next century.”
While cautioning Republicans against complacency, Cruz also targeted Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, whose positions he described as “hard, hard left.”
The senator’s speech repeatedly pitched a message of party unity after a bruising GOP primary season, capped by Attorney General Ken Paxton’s victory over Sen. John Cornyn in the raucous fight for the GOP Senate nomination.
Cruz, without mentioning Cornyn by name, said Republicans should move beyond lingering grievances.
“Sometimes in primaries the differences feel massive until you look to November and see the differences with the other side,” Cruz said.
Recalling his first Senate race in 2012, when he started at 2% in the polls, Cruz said contested primaries are healthy but Republicans have a responsibility to “reach out and mend fences” once voters have made the final choice.
He pointed to his bitter 2016 presidential primary battle with Trump as an example, saying he chose to work with the president afterward because of his responsibility to represent Texans.
Cruz also urged Republicans to remain vigilant heading into the November general election, saying Democrats are likely to be more motivated and engaged than usual.
“The party that is out of power is ticked off. They’re angry. They’re energized. They raise more money. They work harder,” he said. “Too often the party in power feels complacent.”
In 2018, Cruz narrowly defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke, but Republicans lost 12 seats in the Texas House and two in Congress. Analysts say Republicans face a familiar challenge in November, with the party in power often losing ground in midterm elections.
The emphasis on unity and turnout comes as Talarico, a state legislator from Austin, has sought to attract Cornyn supporters, disaffected Republicans and independents, hoping to assemble a coalition broad enough to compete statewide.
State Republican delegates listen Saturday as Sen. Ted Cruz urges Republicans not to grow complacent ahead of November election. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)
Cruz called Talarico “weird,” described his positions as “hard, hard left” and sought to tie him to national Democrats on issues such as immigration, energy and cultural causes.
“He sounds like this nice earnest little preacher man,” Cruz said. “But the substance of policies that he is pushing are dangerous.”
Talarico has dismissed similar attacks, saying Republicans are focused on personal insults rather than issues such as health care, public schools and the cost of living.
Cruz said Republicans should make Talarico’s record a central issue in the campaign, mobilize voters and contribute to Paxton’s campaign.
“Go give Ken Paxton some money,” Cruz told delegates. “Maybe you love Ken Paxton, maybe you don’t love Ken Paxton. Either way give him some money.”
Cruz, now in his third term in Washington, is considered a 2028 presidential contender. Once a Tea Party darling known for his bombastic style, Cruz is poised to become the state’s senior senator and currently leads the powerful Senate Commerce Committee.
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