CLIVE, Iowa—Ted Cruz isn’t hiding his presidential ambitions—and he is taking some digs at the presumptive front-runner along the way.
But Cruz, the Texas senator and firebrand conservative, is already putting in the legwork in Iowa, hitting the podcast circuit and embarking on a book tour. He is also quietly asking people if they would be interested in working on his 2028 bid, according to people familiar with the requests.
Several times this year, he has condemned rising antisemitism on the right, and specifically targeted Republicans who, like Vance, haven’t separated themselves from conservative media personality Tucker Carlson, who has hosted Holocaust deniers on his podcast. Vance’s allies have privately dismissed and scoffed at Cruz running, arguing he wouldn’t be a serious threat to the vice president if he chose to run. Those close to Vance say he is focused on the midterms and not talking about a presidential campaign. Senior GOP strategists expect Vance to have much of Trump’s seasoned political apparatus behind him should he decide to run for president. He also took a shot at the vice president’s role negotiating the memorandum of understanding that aimed to end the Iran war but has since fallen apart. “JD negotiated the MOU with Iran. Hinson recently called Trump’s decision to boost beef imports a bad idea. Trump dubbed him “Lyin’ Ted. The two men have since become friends, and Trump promoted Cruz’s new book on Truth Social this week.
Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are seen as President Trump’s 2028 favorites, and the president has been known to poll staff and donors about whom they would like to see at the top of the ticket. When asked if he will pursue the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, Vance is coy. Some say they aren’t sure the 42-year-old, whose wife just had a fourth child, will even run for president in a year that might be more favorable to Democrats. Cruz, 55, came to Congress in 2012, as the Tea Party movement gained political traction. He ran for president and won the Iowa caucuses in 2016 and held on in the crowded race as it winnowed to just him and Trump.
Republicans running for Congress and governor in Iowa are facing some of the toughest races in years, in part due to a climate that many candidates are blaming on the Trump administration, including the monthslong war with Iran and a trade dispute with Canada .
Cruz told MSNOW that the party hasn’t coalesced around Vance. “I’ll certainly be part of the discussion,” he said. That was a terrible deal,” Cruz said.
