Republican Senator Ted Cruz described his party's defeat in the U.S. midterm elections this Wednesday as a "beating," acknowledged the decline in Hispanic support for Republicans in Texas, and questioned the tariffs and the economic policy of Donald Trump's administration.
"2026 was not just a blue wave; it was a blue tsunami. It was a beating," Cruz stated in an extensive analysis shared on social media after Tuesday's elections.
The Texas lawmaker compared the results to a historically significant defeat and acknowledged that the Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as important state governments.
"We have lost the House. We have lost the Senate," he declared.
The statements come after the Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives and achieved significant victories in traditionally Republican states.
For Cruz, one of the hardest blows occurred in Texas, a state that had maintained a solid Republican hold in state elections for more than three decades.
«Texas is blue. That is a difficult statement to make. But Texas, at least today, is blue,» he lamented.
The results confirmed the victory of James Talarico against the Republican Ken Paxton in the Senate race and the triumph of Gina Hinojosa over Governor Greg Abbott.
Ted Cruz acknowledges loss of the Hispanic vote
The senator identified workers, young people, residents of rural areas, and Hispanic voters among the groups that his party needs to win back.
"In 2024, just two years ago, I was proud to lead Hispanics at the state level in Texas by six points," he recalled.
However, he acknowledged that in the elections this Tuesday, those voters "overwhelmingly returned to the Democratic Party."
The results support their diagnosis. According to a survey by Associated Press, approximately six out of ten Hispanic voters in Texas supported the Democrat James Talarico in the Senate race, while only three out of ten backed the Republican Ken Paxton. In 2024, this electorate had been much more evenly split between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Cruz believes that his party should reassess its priorities and pay greater attention to the economic concerns of Americans.
"The food is too expensive, gasoline is too expensive, diesel is too expensive, insurance is too expensive, life is too expensive," he stated.
His diagnosis aligns with a exit poll by NBC News, which indicates that 79% of the surveyed voters stated that inflation was affecting their household economy and 65% believed that tariffs were detrimental to the country.
The senator also directly questioned some economic decisions and foreign policy actions of the Trump administration.
"The tariffs have made everything too expensive, and the war in Iran has gone on for too long," he stated.
In his opinion, too many Republican politicians failed to understand the economic situation of families while highlighting favorable indicators from financial markets.
Cruz warned that the party will need to rebuild its relationship with the voters it lost and focus on policies that can improve the living conditions of workers.
Despite the criticism, he assured that he will continue to defend conservative positions and anticipated confrontations with the new Democratic majorities in Congress.
The legislator also stated that he called James Talarico to congratulate him on his victory in Texas and expressed his willingness to collaborate on matters that benefit the state.
"We will bring Texas back," he promised, convinced that the Republicans will be able to regain electoral ground.
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