As speculation simmers about his political future, Ted Cruz is hunkering down in his home state with a weeklong tour aimed at getting back in touch with constituents following a long and contentious presidential campaign.
The statewide swing, set to take him from Beaumont to El Paso and stops in between, is not an unusual undertaking for a U.S. senator during congressional recess. But it comes at a time when Texas Republicans are buzzing more than ever about Cruz’s prospects for re-election in 2018, a discussion fueled by Cruz’s refusal to endorse Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at the GOP national convention.
The latest in the backlash came Monday, when CNN reported that U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul of Austin is being urged to challenge Cruz in the 2018 primary. McCaul is not ruling out the possibility, though he is said to not be actively exploring a run.
Cruz has largely eschewed national attention since the convention and is expected to continue keeping his head down as he traverses Texas this week. A Cruz aide said he will be “meeting with key community leaders, job creators and industry stakeholders to hear from them how he can best serve them in D.C. and ensure their concerns, ideas and interests are heard.”
Cruz began the home-state swing Monday in his hometown of Houston, where he met with space industry leaders and toured NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The visit coincided with the launch of a Snapchat account he is expected to use to chronicle his Texas travels and more.
In the coming days, Cruz is scheduled to visit El Paso, San Antonio, Laredo, Lubbock, Dallas and Tyler. Among the notable stops on his itinerary are the Port of Beaumont, Fort Bliss, Dyess Air Force Base, the Texas Instruments headquarters and the Space X launch site.
Along the way, Cruz is passing up at least one opportunity for a post-convention turn on the national stage: He will not be at RedState Gathering this weekend in Denver, a meeting of conservative activists he has attended every year since it began in 2009.
Cruz is appearing across the state in his official capacity, though political overtones are inevitable as Trump supporters continue working behind the scenes to derail his re-election. The week started with renewed buzz that he could face a serious primary foe in 2018, including CNN’s report that McCaul is being pushed to take on Cruz in what would be an underdog — but not quixotic — intra-party battle.
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- Discussion
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.@tedcruz hunkers down and starts tending his home turf as talk of 2018 U.S.Senate challenger grows https://t.co/0WbD1aH0q8 #txlege
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) August 9, 2016
@TeamTedCruz ready for @SouthwestAir flight to El Paso! Impressed by @samcooper33's enthusiasm! pic.twitter.com/gXyzrVsgrz
— DavidPolyansky (@DavidPolyansky) August 9, 2016
Cruz has a record of working for his constituents in Texas as well as all the American people, his willingness to fight for what is right is unsurpassed by any congressman for the last 50 to 100 years if not more. Now if he has a problem it is the misconception that he can’t get along with congress; but it is not that he can’t get along it is most all of congress can’t get along with the constitution, so he very often stands alone.
Cruz will beat all challengers, beat them bloody all about the head and shoulders, so badly will he beat them they will be ashamed to show their face in public, they’ll have to sneak out of Texas in the dark of night, then leave the country when he takes the presidency in 2020. Sarcasm of course, I’m not a cultist like FR trumpers, Cruz is just a man with a servants heart… not a god like so many others perceive themselves to be.
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