The Texas US Senator seems to be adding his name to the 2028 Grand ole’ Party Presidential Nomination Sweepstakes ….
This IS gonna be VERY Interesting Folks….
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid by leaning into his feud with Tucker Carlson — and staking out turf as a traditional, pro-interventionist Republican.
Why it matters: By poking at Carlson’s isolationist foreign policy views, accusing him of antisemitism and more, Cruz is putting himself on a collision course with Vice President Vance, a Carlson ally widely seen as the 2028 GOP frontrunner.
- The senator also is diving into issues that are tearing at President Trump’s MAGA movement, namely ideological differences over Israel.
- “We have a responsibility to speak out even when it’s uncomfortable,” Cruz said in a statement to Axios. “When voices in our own movement push dangerous and misguided ideas, we can’t look the other way. I won’t hesitate to call out those who peddle destructive, vile rhetoric and threaten our principles and our future. Silence in the face of recklessness is not an option.”
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Behind the scenes: Cruz, the runner-up to Trump in the 2016 GOP primary, has been taking steps toward a presidential run.
- He’s been hitting the speaker’s circuit, including with recent appearances before the Miami-Dade Republican Party and the Maverick PAC, an organization geared toward young conservatives.
- Cruz is set to host a donor retreat next year and has been hosting a top-ranked podcast and syndicated radio show, which has helped him build a formidable network for soliciting small-dollar contributors.
- The senator’s chairmanship of the Commerce Committee has given him entree to major financial figures, as has his opposition to Trump’s tariff policy.
- Cruz also is endorsing midterm candidates, which could help him win chits for a future run.
Yes, but: Cruz will need to reckon with a Republican primary electorate that has largely abandoned its George W. Bush-era support for an interventionist foreign policy in favor of the more isolationist “America First” approach that Carlson and Vance support.
- Initial polls show Vance as a big favorite in the 2028 GOP primary.
- Some GOP donors may be queasy about crossing the Trump White House and embracing a candidate other than Vance….
image…NBC News
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