We Must Re-elect Ted Cruz At All Costs

As politicians are fond of saying, the next election is never more than two years away. And now, before the 45^th president has even been inaugurated, mere days after the 115^th Congress has been sworn in, speculation is already beginning about the 2018 midterms, when Republicans will have an historic opportunity to expand their Senate majority.

But as every grassroots conservative knows by now, having a simple Republican majority is by no means a guarantee of good legislation, or any serious effort in Congress to shrink the national debt or the size of government. Character still matters, even today, and the quality and commitment to Constitutional principles of candidates for office matter more than whether that candidate has an (R) next to their name.

In an ideal world, I would not be writing a post in support of Ted Cruz’s Senate reelection, because it would be Ted Cruz, not Donald Trump, preparing to take the oath of office as the next President. But here we are. And so, as much as it pains me to think about the next national election so soon after 2016, I have to, because ensuring that Ted Cruz wins a second term in the Senate will be the single most important battle for conservatives, across the country, over the next two years.

Cruz has been such a prominent and vocal defender of conservative principles during his first term that it would be impossible to give a comprehensive list of all the issues on which he has led the way in Congress, from government spending to Internet freedom to defense of the unborn. Cruz’s friend Senator Mike Lee of Utah is the only other member of the Senate who rivals him in his commitment to conservative values. But Lee is more comfortable out of the spotlight of national politics, whereas Cruz seems to relish his notoriety in the media and among liberals. Together they make a formidable team.

Texas is a red state, but liberals and moderate Republicans alike will seek to make an example of Cruz in an attempt to stifle other strong conservative voices within the GOP—the former by seeking to recruit strong general election candidates who disguise their liberalism well, and the latter by recruiting an establishment Republican to challenge Cruz in the primary. In early polling, Cruz looks like a solid favorite to win both the primary and general elections, against several potential candidates, all of whom are either little-known or little-liked. But the election is still over a year away, and much can change.

That’s why conservatives need to be focused on this race now, supporting the Cruz campaign financially if they are able, promoting the candidate to anyone they may know who is a registered Texas voter, and otherwise supporting his candidacy. The 2018 Texas Senate race will be the single most important Senate election of the year, and indeed the most important in several cycles.

I’ve had my differences with Cruz, mainly with regard to tactics. I applauded his bold decision not to endorse Trump at the RNC, and was then disappointed when he reversed course several months later. I disagreed with how he embraced Trump so fervently early on in the primary, clearly hoping to win over the latter’s supporters when their candidate inevitably faded away. But none of that changes the fact that it is vitally important that Ted Cruz win another term in the Senate. That is where he is needed, now more than ever.