Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Wednesday gave his take on Republicans‘ upset in the midterm elections, saying the GOP fell short on addressing voters’ concerns about the cost of living.
Cruz, who is a possible 2028 presidential candidate, shared a lengthy X post the evening after the elections, which he referred to as an “a** kicking” for Republicans. He noted polls taken prior to the elections that showed the cost of living was overwhelmingly the top concern for voters but acknowledged that the GOP didn’t put enough focus on the topic.
“The top issue, cost of living, is very real,” he said. “Too many in politics dismissed it. They didn’t understand. They pointed to the macro numbers showing the stock markets soaring, median income at record highs, and poverty at record lows. Those data are true, but they don’t tell all of the story.”
The senator went on to compare economic data from the past to now and said it reflects “very real pain from real Americans.”
“Republican politicians seem like they didn’t understand or they didn’t care,” he said. “Food is too high, gas is too high, diesel is too high, insurance is too high, life is too high.”
Vice President JD Vance similarly offered his review of the “bluenami” that hit Tuesday night after Democrats took control of Congress and blamed the results on the impacts of the Iran war.
Cruz, however, only briefly touched on the unpopular conflict, noting a detail in a memorandum of understanding negotiated by Vance with Iran that included funding for Tehran to rebuild.
“Tariffs have made everything too expensive, and the Iran war has dragged on too long,” he said. “It should have been brief, decisive, and over. It needs to end, and we should never, under any circumstances, give the Ayatollah billions of dollars.”
While acknowledging what was lost in the midterm elections, Cruz also laid out the road that lies ahead and pointed out how he is now the only statewide elected Republican after Democratic Sen.-elect James Talarico and Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa secured their nominations.
“So, what do we do now? We need to listen and respond. We need to champion economic policies that make a real difference in working people’s lives, and we need to deal with the consequences,” he said. “Texas is blue. That is a hard sentence to utter. But Texas, today at least, is blue. As we sit here today, I am the only statewide elected Republican who remains in Texas. That’s not something I ever thought I would say.”
Cruz warned of the “madness” that awaits with Democrats in control in Washington and Austin, but said he was willing to work alongside them “when they’re willing to be reasonable.”
He also offered a vision of hope for the GOP and said Texas will not remain blue, framing it as if a reckoning is coming.
ACCIDENTAL WINNERS FROM THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
“But hear me now: we will bring Texas back,” he said. “I am filled with hope and optimism. Texas will be red again. We have not suddenly become a bunch of tofu-eating, gun-banning, tutu-wearing pinko commie liberals. That ain’t us. Texas is still Texas.”
“We will rebuild as a true blue-collar party, not by embracing socialism, but by being real free-market conservatives,” he continued. “The way we built the Texas economic miracle in the first place, and we will build and rebuild America as well.”