{"id":573530,"date":"2023-05-08T01:31:39","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T22:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/ted-cruz-ramps-up-as-democrats-seek-to-take-him-down\/"},"modified":"2023-05-08T01:31:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T22:31:39","slug":"ted-cruz-ramps-up-as-democrats-seek-to-take-him-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ted-cruz-ramps-up-as-democrats-seek-to-take-him-down\/","title":{"rendered":"#Ted Cruz ramps up as Democrats seek to take him down"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/cruzted_allredcolin_050523gn_split_cruz-allred59.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is hoping to avoid a reprisal of his 2018 close call as he preps for a potential <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> election challenge from Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) in what could be one of the most expensive races on the Senate map next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Democrats are hoping the race emerges as a rare competitive contest for a GOP-held seat in 2024. But Cruz, the two-term conservative firebrand, is looking to make his narrow 2018 win in a knockdown, drag-out fight the exception and not the rule.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI feel very confident about this election,\u201d Cruz told The Hill in a brief interview. \u201cI fully expect for the Democrats to spend $100 million in nasty attack ads because today\u2019s Democrat Party is angry, and they want to express that rage. But for my end, I\u2019m going to keep the race about our substantive records and our visions for the state of Texas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully for Cruz, the situation has changed drastically from 2018 to this cycle. Heading into his first reelection campaign, Cruz was fresh off of his 2016 presidential bid and his high-profile wars with former President Trump, all of which\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/congress\/the-reinvention-of-ted-cruz\">put him behind the eight ball back home<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The polling shows as much. According to the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/texaspolitics.utexas.edu\/set\/ted-cruz-job-approval-trend-0\">University of Texas\u2019s tracking<\/a>\u00a0of his job <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roval, Cruz is sitting at 45 percent, a figure that has remained relatively static throughout his second term. Throughout the 2018 cycle, Cruz was mired between 38 and 40 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He also had a uniquely strong opponent that year in then-Rep. Beto O\u2019Rourke (D-Texas), who married a message of unity, an anti-Cruz sentiment among Democrats and independents, and a fundraising prowess that was unmatched to create a perfect storm against the Texas senator.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Cruz survived, but he won by less than three percentage points, virtually ensuring he won\u2019t be caught flat-footed as a battle with Allred looms ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the $80 million that Beto raised from small-dollar contributions in a relatively short amount of time kind of snuck up on Ted. That\u2019s not going to happen this time,\u201d Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said. \u201cI told him, \u2018You\u2019re going to win, but this may well be the most expensive Senate race in Texas history \u2014 again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Allred, an ex-NFL player, laid out his opening argument in a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ColinAllredTX\/status\/1653727403536183301\">rollout video<\/a>\u00a0last week and targeted Cruz for his push to overturn the 2020 election results and for <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ing to Cancun in February 2021 while the state was paralyzed by a deadly winter storm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTed Cruz only cares about himself,\u201d Allred said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Allred flipped what was then a competitive district from red to blue in 2018, and the nonpartisan election forecaster Cook Political Report shifted the Senate race from \u201csolid Republican\u201d to \u201clikely Republican.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>However, Cruz and Texas Republicans have a number of arrows in their quiver heading into the 2024 contest.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Texas remains a right-leaning state, as evidenced by the party\u2019s success across the board in 2022 and headlined by Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s (R) 11-point reelection victory over O\u2019Rourke. The GOP has also been\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/why-south-texas-hispanics-are-going-gop-tejanos-border-economy-democratic-policies-republican-shift-immigration-2024-election-88f6864a\">buoyed by increased support<\/a>\u00a0across South Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans also argue they have an issue advantage heading into the 2024 cycle because the most important items in the state\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/texaspolitics.utexas.edu\/set\/most-important-issue-facing-texas-april-2023\">remain the border and the economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThe concern I\u2019d have if I\u2019m Allred is that the most important issues in Texas aren\u2019t a lot of Democratic issues,\u201d one Texas-based Republican strategist said, noting the leading topics are those two \u201cand not much else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s got a math problem in the state, and he\u2019s got an issue problem when two-thirds of voters are saying border and the economy. \u2026 I\u2019m trying to see what his issue lane is going to be other than attacking Ted relentlessly,\u201d the strategist continued. \u201cTed would have to do something Cancun-ish to start a snowball effect. I just don\u2019t know that he\u2019s going to fall into a trap like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cruz\u2019s team has already seized on Allred\u2019s record and party-line support for President Biden. They argue he is not the moderate he is trying to portray himself as. Allred\u2019s team is quick to mention he is one of the few members to have been endorsed in recent cycles by the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Democrats in the state recognize they don\u2019t just have a problem at the border, but also a problem with how they talk about it. Changing that, they say, is crucial to fixing their political woes in Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have got to talk about the border. It\u2019s not the same thing as immigration. We may see the issue as being connected, but [voters] see immigration and border security as being two different, and we can\u2019t ignore it, and we can\u2019t pivot to immigration without talking about the border,\u201d said Ed Espinoza, an Austin-based Democratic operative.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we don\u2019t figure out how to talk about the border, we are going to see the same results we always see, and it\u2019s never good,\u201d Espinoza added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/3990957-ted-cruz-ramps-up-as-democrats-seek-to-take-him-down\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is hoping to avoid a reprisal of his 2018 close call as he preps for a potential general election challenge from Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) in what could be one of the most expensive races on the Senate map next year.\u00a0 Democrats are hoping the race emerges as a rare competitive&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":573531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/cruzted_allredcolin_050523gn_split_cruz-allred59.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[75690,134417,142968,134353,90482,124783,70289,137508,134345,37699],"class_list":["post-573530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-beto-orourke","tag-blog-briefing-room","tag-colin-allred","tag-court-battles","tag-house","tag-international","tag-senate","tag-smart-cities","tag-state-watch","tag-ted-cruz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}