Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Last weekend, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz found himself hobnobbing with an unlikely figure—Liz Truss, known as the shortest-serving British prime minister. But, closer to home, a potential threat to Cruz’s own political future was unfolding.
As reported by the Dallas Morning News and the Texas Tribune, Democratic Congressman Colin Allred, Cruz’s most probable opponent for re-election in the upcoming year, announced a remarkable $10.9 million raised since officially declaring his candidacy in May. This impressive sum was nearly twenty times more than his closest Democratic rival managed to gather and even surpassed the fundraising figures reported by Cruz himself during the same period.
Cruz, the unapologetic hard-right Republican, who rose to the Senate in 2012, played a pivotal role in the government shutdown of 2013 and ran for the presidency in 2016, reported raising $8.8 million during the same timeframe. Nonetheless, the discrepancy in fundraising figures caused a stir in the Lone Star State’s political landscape.
In response to these reports, a spokesperson for Cruz reached out to The Guardian, disputing the figures and referring to an October Fox News report stating that the senator had “brought in $5.4 million during the July-September third quarter of 2023 fundraising.” They went on to note that this was an increase from the $4.4 million he raised in the April-June second quarter and the $1.8 million gathered in the initial three months of 2023. The Cruz campaign asserted that they had over $6.7 million in cash on hand as October began.
However, regardless of the exact numbers, Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker for the Tennessee Titans who was elected to Congress from his hometown of Dallas in 2018, has emerged as a formidable contender.
Eagerly showcasing his fundraising prowess, Allred’s campaign manager, Paige Hutchinson, remarked to the Texas Tribune, “Texans’ enthusiasm to retire Ted Cruz – and to elect Colin Allred to the Senate – is reflected in this quarter’s amazing outpouring of grassroots support.”
Allred appears poised to secure victory in the Democratic primary, which would set the stage for his challenge against Cruz. Nevertheless, it is essential to remember that Texas has often dashed Democratic hopes in the past. In 2018, Beto O’Rourke, then a congressman, mounted a formidable challenge against Cruz but fell short. Despite his prominence in national progressive circles, O’Rourke’s subsequent presidential campaign in 2020 and a bid for Texas governor two years later ended in disappointment.
Meanwhile, Senator Cruz took to Twitter on Saturday, sharing a photograph of himself, his wife Heidi Cruz, and Liz Truss.
Ted Cruz expressed his gratitude, acknowledging the significance of strong international allies who will champion conservative principles and uphold liberty. Truss, in turn, conveyed her appreciation for the warm welcome she and her husband received in Houston. She emphasized the urgency of conservatives prevailing in the battle of ideas, both in the United States and the United Kingdom, underlining that the time to act is now.
It’s worth noting that Liz Truss’s tenure as prime minister, a mere 49 days in September and October, holds a unique place in the annals of British political history. To put it in perspective, she became the shortest-serving prime minister ever. In a more lighthearted context, the Daily Star, a tabloid newspaper, humorously pointed out that her tenure was shorter than the lifespan of a lettuce, adding a touch of pop culture to the political narrative.
COMMENTS