Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday that as it stands now, he doesn’t see anyone who is likely to mount a GOP primary challenge against him in his 2018 bid for re-election but that he’s taking nothing for granted.
“At this point, I don’t see anyone that is likely to run, but I am going to assume that the threat is serious and prepare accordingly,” Mr. Cruz told radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“And if someone does run, we’re going to do what it takes to beat them, and I hope beat them resoundingly,” he said.
Mr. Cruz, who was first elected in 2012, also said he thinks he’s in a “strong position” at this point.
“I’m encouraged by where we stand,” he said.
“But there’s an old adage. There are two ways to run: scared and unopposed,” he said. “Unless and until I discover I’m unopposed, we’re going to run scared.”
Rep. Michael McCaul, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, has been mentioned as a possible Republican challenger to Mr. Cruz.
Another name that had been mentioned is former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, but President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Mr. Perry to be the next energy secretary.
Mr. Cruz was Mr. Trump’s top GOP rival during the 2016 presidential campaign. He eventually threw his support behind the president-elect after notably declining to do so in a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention last July.
The Texas senator announced soon after suspending his campaign last May that he would seek re-election to a second term in the U.S. Senate.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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