Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is sounding the alarm just days before the November 3 midterm elections, warning that Republicans could lose as many as eight Senate seats and suffer a devastating statewide defeat in Texas if GOP voters fail to show up at the polls.
Speaking Friday on his podcast, The Verdict with Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican painted a grim picture of the party's prospects, pointing to surging Democratic turnout and a series of closely contested Senate races across the country.
“The election is just a few days away, and all across the country there are Senate races that are incredibly close. There are eight to 10 Senate races across the country that are basically tied,” Cruz said.
According to Cruz, the difference between a successful election night and a Republican disaster could be enormous.
“If we have a good night on Election Day, we could have a fantastic result. We could end up with 53 Republicans in the Senate. We could end up growing our majority in the Senate,” he said.
But the senator warned that Republicans could face an entirely different outcome if their supporters stay home.
“If we have a bad day,” Republicans “could wake up the day after Election Day, instead of 53 Republicans, with 45,” Cruz said.
“That big a delta is at play.”
Cruz Warns of Massive Democratic Turnout
Cruz, who recently traveled to Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Michigan and Iowa to campaign for Republican candidates, said early voting numbers have left him deeply concerned.
“I’m worried,” he acknowledged.
“What we’re seeing across the country is massive Democrat turnout,” Cruz said. “Democrats are showing up, they’re energized, they hate, hate, hate Donald Trump.”
He warned that Republicans could face a political “bloodbath” unless GOP voters match that enthusiasm.
“If the election were over today, if just the early votes that have been cast so far are counted, Republicans would lose massively,” Cruz said.
The senator argued that Democrats are turning out their most dependable voters while reliable Republican voters have been slower to cast their ballots.
Still, Cruz insisted Republicans have enough potential voters to reverse the trend.
“There are Republican votes out there to turn that around,” he said.
“Please, please, please show up and vote,” Cruz urged his listeners.
Texas Republicans Could Face Statewide Defeat
Cruz reserved some of his strongest warnings for his home state, where Republican Ken Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in a closely watched U.S. Senate contest.
The senator suggested that the danger extends far beyond that race, with every statewide Republican candidate potentially vulnerable.
“Texas is excruciatingly close. Understand we could lose Texas,” Cruz warned.
“Not just the Senate race. We could lose every single statewide race in Texas. That’s how close these numbers are.”
Cruz also pushed back against Republicans who dismiss unfavorable polling as inaccurate or politically biased.
While acknowledging that some pollsters may lean left, he argued that the early voting figures represent a genuine warning for Republicans.
“I can tell you having run a lot of campaigns, having examined a lot of numbers, these data are not fake. The Democrats are massively out-turning out the Republicans. We got to fix that.”
With Election Day approaching, Cruz's message to Republican voters was unmistakable: The party's Senate majority and its grip on Texas could depend on whether GOP supporters turn out in force.
Cruz's Senate office did not respond to a request for comment.
