‘A Watergate-level repudiation’: Ted Cruz weighs in on midterm wave

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas called the Democratic sweep in this week's midterm elections an "ass-kicking" for Republicans and said his party must now follow through on its economic promises. Speaking on his podcast, he described the outcome as a rejection on the scale of Watergate and a "blue tsunami." Cruz, whose term runs to 2030, said voters were angry because Republicans had not done enough about their hardship. He cited tariffs that pushed up costs and an Iran war that lasted too long, and said many GOP politicians seemed either not to understand or not to care, according to NBC News.

NBC News exit polls showed that over 80% of voters felt anxious about what they pay for gasoline, diesel, groceries, utilities and healthcare. Cruz said Republicans need to listen and back policies that help working people. He also said he phoned Senator-elect James Talarico, a Democrat, to congratulate him, and that he hopes to work with Talarico for Texas, though he predicted the state will turn red again.

Senator John Cornyn, who lost May's GOP Senate primary to Attorney General Ken Paxton, made a similar point in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News →