Ted Cruz arrived in the Senate in 2013 after winning a primary upset that the Texas Republican establishment didn’t see coming. He was the Tea Party’s idea of a senator: Harvard Law, former Supreme Court clerk, former Texas Solicitor General, and absolutely willing to make enemies if the cameras were on.
He hasn’t changed much since.
The Committees
Cruz chairs the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in the 119th Congress — the most powerful perch he’s held. The committee has jurisdiction over telecommunications, consumer protection, transportation, space, and technology policy. As chair, he controls the hearing schedule and markup agenda.
He also serves on the Foreign Relations Committee and the Judiciary Committee — a portfolio that maps directly to his political identity: international hawkishness, immigration restrictionism, and constitutional litigation.
The Record
His Senate career has been defined by confrontation: the 2013 government shutdown he helped engineer over the Affordable Care Act, a 21-hour floor speech reading Green Eggs and Ham, and a 2016 presidential campaign in which he won the Iowa caucuses before losing the nomination to a candidate he called a “pathological liar” and a “sniveling coward.”
He endorsed that same candidate in 2016 general, campaigned for him in 2020, objected to certifying his electoral loss in 2021, and has been a loyal ally since. In Washington, this is called adaptation.
The 2024 Race
Cruz won re-election in November 2024, defeating Democrat Colin Allred by about 5 points — significantly closer than his 2018 race against Beto O’Rourke, which he won by 2.6 points. Texas remains competitive in Senate races even as it’s remained red in statewide elections. His next race is 2030.
The Money
His 2024 campaign raised $45.7M in a state that requires serious spending to win. The Texas energy industry is his most reliable donor base — a relationship that is at once a political asset and a governing constraint. When you take money from oil and gas, you vote accordingly. Cruz has voted accordingly for twelve years.
What They’re Watching
Whether Cruz uses his Commerce Committee chairmanship to build a legislative record that could support another presidential run, or whether 2028 passes him by entirely. His 2016 run established he can win evangelical and movement conservative voters — the question is whether the party has any appetite left for someone other than a Trump successor.