Texas Senator Ted Cruz has stuck his neck out for his senior colleague’s potential successor despite the MAGA candidate’s numerous red flags.
Cruz, 55, went toe-to-toe with NBC News’s Kristen Welker on Sunday about the Senate race in Texas, where Donald Trump-endorsed Republican Ken Paxton is vying for the seat currently occupied by Sen. John Cornyn.
Paxton, the state’s attorney general who carries extensive political and legal baggage, defeated incumbent Cornyn in the Republican primary in May.
Since then, the state’s senior senator has made clear his disdain for Paxton, opting not to help raise funds for the Republican Senate hopeful in his race against rising Democratic star James Talarico.
“Paxton’s a poor campaigner,” Cornyn told The Texas Tribune on Friday. “He’s lazy and doesn’t raise money. And he basically is not offering a very compelling case for his election. He’s making this harder than it needs to be. But so be it—we are where we are.”
Welker, whom Trump attacked on Truth Social earlier Sunday over remarks she made on NBC4 Washington, asked Cruz whether he agreed with his senior colleague’s assessment of Paxton.
“Well, listen, I think primaries can often be bitter,” Cruz said. “And then you often see hurt feelings. That’s part of the process. It’s also part of the process that when the primary is over, that you come together and you focus on the general election.”
“At the end of the day, this is not about how any one particular person feels about any one particular candidate. This is about the people of Texas,” he continued. “This is about who will best represent 32 million Texans.”
Cruz said his answer was “very, very clear” in that Paxton, whom he deemed a “strong conservative,” was the right choice for Texans.
Welker pushed back, bringing up Paxton’s laundry list of “political baggage,” which includes allegations of bribery, securities fraud, voter fraud, mortgage fraud, and abuse of office, among other scandals. But Cruz held firm in his support.
“Ken Paxton can most absolutely win,” he said. “He’s been elected statewide over and over and over again. And Ken Paxton, I think, will win because he has a record. He supports policy positions that are consistent with the voters of Texas.”
The NBC News moderator again pressed Cruz, emphasizing that the criticism of Paxton was coming not from the media but from his fellow Texas senator.
“Do you want to see John Cornyn out on the campaign trail with Ken Paxton?” Welker asked. “Do you think that’s the only way he can shore up those critical voters that he’s probably going to need to win the state?”
“Look, as I said, the primary is over,” Cruz replied. “And at this point, I’m friends with both Ken and John. I understand the hurt feelings. That is human nature. I’m focused on the people of Texas. And I think the voters are going to be focused on the people of Texas.”
