The Lone Star State senator doesn't want to be alone.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized the Senate Minority Leader and expressed frustration at the lack of support from the Senate Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Mitch McConnell.
“Unfortunately, no, we don't have a penny,” Cruz said. ventilated When asked on Fox News' “Life Liberty & Levin” if he received any resources from the Senate Leadership Fund, he said:
“Mr. McConnell runs the largest Republican super PAC in the country, with $400 million that he uses to reward Republican senators who follow him and punish those who dare to stand up to him. “I am aware of this,” he added.
Technically, although Mr. McConnell is actively raising money, federal campaign finance laws prevent him from directly determining spending in the Senate Leadership Fund. The group has many supporters, including his former chief of staff and CEO Stephen Law.
Mr. Cruz has a long history of conflict with Mr. McConnell. In his first year in the Senate, Mr. Cruz championed a push to use government funding fights to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a ploy that Mr. McConnell opposed.
Ultimately, this led to a government shutdown in 2013, leaving the Affordable Care Act in place. From there, Mr. Cruz and Mr. McConnell repeatedly clashed over what tactics to use.
“Chuck Schumer has made it clear that he is the No. 1 target domestically, and they are spending $100 million to $150 million to take me down,” Cruz warned.
Republicans generally feel they are behind Democrats in broadcasting key House and Senate races. Republicans have a favorable Senate map in 2024 and only need to defend 11 seats compared to Democrats' 23 (including three held by independents). Still, Democrats have incumbents and plenty of money to defend these seats.
Texas ranks as the weakest incumbent Senate seat for Republicans in the 2024 cycle and has been given a “lean Republican” rating by the federal government. cook political report.
Democrats have remained optimistic about their chances of flipping the Senate seat, even though Texas won the state by more than 5.5 percentage points over former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
Six years after Mr. Cruz defeated former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) by about 2.6 percentage points in the year of the Blue Wave, he defeated Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas). is facing a fierce battle. .
For comparison, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is vying to replace McConnell as Republican Senate leader when he retires in November, came just 10 points short of winning re-election in 2020.
“[Democrats] It continues to run attack ads non-stop. It just appeared on TV three weeks ago. Now, it's not like I didn't want to be on TV three months ago. I didn't have money. We are significantly outspending,” Cruz warned.
“The polls are showing this race to be a one-point race, a two-point race or a three-point race. The two published polls show me losing,” Cruz said. emphasized. “It's an incredibly close race.”
Latest real clear politics According to poll results for the Texas Senate race, Mr. Cruz has a 4.8 point lead over Mr. Allred.
Last month, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced plans to launch a multimillion-dollar ad campaign against Cruz.
Republicans are privately nervous about Texas and Nebraska, where incumbent Sen. Debbie Fischer (R-Neb.) is running against an independent candidate, according to internal polling and other data from the Senate Leadership Fund. He faces a tougher-than-expected battle with Dan Osborne.
The group's internal voting showed Cruz holding a narrow one-point lead over Allred.
The head of the Senate Leadership Fund downplayed the risks in Texas last month.
“I think either one is fine. This is a presidential cycle. Neither of those states will be of interest to Democrats.” Lowe told The Wall Street Journal..
“Senator Cruz and Sen. Rick Scott have done what you want incumbents to do: be prepared to raise money, be serious about their campaigns, and run a good campaign.”
Republicans saw a chance to win the Senate in 2024 in states such as West Virginia, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona. They currently hold 49 seats to the Democratic Party's 51.
