Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Monday that Republicans are rallying behind Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton after a hard-fought GOP Senate primary, while stressing that his own political focus remains on the 2026 midterm elections rather than any potential White House run in 2028.
On "Greg Kelly Reports," Cruz said he recently delivered a message of party unity at the Texas Republican Convention following Paxton's primary runoff victory against Sen. John Cornyn.
"I actually spoke just this weekend at the Texas Republican Convention, and my entire message was one of unity," Cruz said. "I said, look, I get we had a primary. It was a bareknuckle primary. Both sides went after each other.
"That primary is over. Ken Paxton is the Republican nominee for Senate in Texas. And all of us need to come together."
Cruz said he believes Republicans will hold the seat in November but warned that Democrats are expected to heavily target the race.
"I think we're going to win in November. We're going to keep Texas red," Cruz said. "But it is clear this Senate seat is a very real fight."
According to Cruz, Democrats could spend more than $100 million, and possibly as much as $200 million, in an effort to flip the seat.
He also sharply criticized the Democrats' nominee, James Talarico, describing him as "radical," "extreme," and "a leftist," while arguing Republicans should not underestimate his appeal.
"This guy is a dangerous candidate because he's charming, he's affable, he sounds like a preacher," Cruz said. "He is counting on deceiving the voters."
Cruz added that some voters who do not follow politics closely could be drawn to Talarico's presentation style.
"What I worry about is the mom who's not paying attention to politics closely, but turns on TV and sees him and says, 'Oh, he's a nice young man,' and that's dangerous," Cruz said. "We've got to make sure we get the truth out."
Asked about speculation that he could seek the presidency in 2028, Cruz declined to discuss future ambitions and instead pointed to the stakes of the upcoming midterms.
"My focus right now is on the midterms," Cruz said. "We have an epic battle coming up in November."
Cruz said he plans to spend significant time campaigning for Republican Senate and House candidates nationwide, arguing that Democrats would use congressional majorities "to do everything they can to cripple President Trump's agenda."
"There'll be plenty of time to worry about 2028 in the future," Cruz said. "We've got to focus right now on the midterms."
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