Ted Cruz Is Texas’ Only Remaining Statewide Republican Lawmaker

Cruz, who campaigned heavily for Republicans leading up to the midterms, first won his Senate seat in 2012, when he beat out Democrat Paul Sadler by 16 percentage points. He was re-elected by a far slimmer margin in 2018, however, defeating Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke by only 2.5 points. 

That year, Trump’s first midterms as president, Republicans gained two Senate seats to expand their majority, but lost the lower chamber, in which Democrats gained 41 seats. 

In his most recent Senate battle in 2024, a presidential election year that saw Trump win Texas by nearly 14 points, Cruz safely defeated Democrat Colin Allred by an 8.5 point margin. 

Despite the sweeping defeats his party suffered in the state, Cruz remained optimistic that Texas would return to its prior ruby-red status. 

“Texas will be red again,” he said. “It is dark right now, but it is always darkest before the dawn. And morning is coming. That is my fervent prayer. And that is my commitment to you.”