“We’ve got to win the White House in ’24. And I think that is absolutely critical. But the first step is taking Congress back,” said Ted Cruz, who has been stumping for GOP candidates around the country.
Megan Varner/AP Photo
“It’s all hands on deck now, whether it’s me or Tim Scott or Joni Ernst,” Cotton said on the sidelines of an Ohio stop for GOP Senate hopeful J.D. Vance. The Arkansan then offered an aggressively sunny midterms prediction: “We’re going to hold all of our seats and pick up several of their [Democratic] seats as well.”
That means it’s no time to sit idle if you’re a GOP senator with higher ambitions. Even as Trump has hinted his plans to seek the nomination, there’s a wide recognition within the party that the contest could become a free-for-all.
Cruz is one of the most open about his aspirations for a second White House bid. Yet as Trump stays vague on his timing, the two-term Texan says he’s also considering whether to run for Senate again in 2024, a year when Rick Scott and Josh Hawley of Missouri will also be up for reelection.
Another factor to weigh: Cruz is ascending to the top Republican spot on the Commerce Committee next year — a big shift for a senator who made his name battling with GOP leaders and dueled Trump in the last lap of the 2016 primary.
Meanwhile, Tim Scott appeared at events and town halls all over the country despite being on the ballot this year, including with Fox News host Sean Hannity. He’s showed up dozens of times for GOP candidates, and his affiliated super PAC is throwing millions of dollars into the battle for the Senate.
Sen. Tim Scott has showed up dozens of times for GOP candidates, and his affiliated super PAC is throwing millions of dollars into the battle for the Senate.
