Ted Cruz is a conservative Republican representing Texas in the U.S. Senate. Cruz was first elected to the Senate in 2012. Cruz is next up for reelection in 2024.
This is a catalog of scandals and controversies involving Ted Cruz.
Cruz Promoted Satan Worship Conspiracy. “Texas Sen. Ted Cruz denounced the Grammy Awards as “evil” after Sam Smith and Kim Petras performed a Satan-themed set at the ceremony Sunday night.” [Insider]
Cruz Proposed Term Limits While Running For Third Term. “CBS host Margaret Brennan asked Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) why he is not a hypocrite for sponsoring a bill to limit U.S. senators to two terms — even though he is running for a third term. “You introduced a bill to limit terms to two six-year terms in office for senators,” Brennan told Cruz. “Why aren’t you holding yourself to that standard? You said you’re running for a third term.”” [Crooks & Liars]
Cruz Promoted Anti-Vaccination Conspiracy Theory Following Damar Hamlin Story. “On Monday, Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, tweeted a screenshot of a tweet from conservative actor Kevin Sorbo that read, “Weird how these healthy athletes just started randomly collapsing… must be climate change.” In the screenshot, Ted Cruz had quote-tweeted Sorbo’s tweet with a pensive-looking emoji. As of Tuesday, the tweet did not appear on Cruz’s Twitter.” [Dallas Morning News]
Promoted January 6 Conspiracy Theory
Prompted to do so by Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Cruz in January 2022 promoted the conspiracy theory that an Arizona man involved with the January 6 attack on the Capitol was connected to the FBI. Conspiracy theorist and Republican operative Steve Bannon praised Cruz for promoting the conspiracy.
Said Transgender People Shouldn’t Use Public Bathrooms
Cruz was asked in 2016 if his opposition to transgender rights meant he would oppose transgender people using public bathrooms. Cruz responded, “You don’t have a right to intrude upon the rights of others because whether or not a man believes he’s a woman, there are a lot of women who would like to be able to use a public restroom in peace without having a man there — and when there are children involved, you don’t have a right to impose your lifestyle on others.”
Voted Against Hurricane Sandy Relief
Cruz in 2013 voted against a relief package for people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The hurricane caused $65 billion in damage and has been ranked as the 6th most costly hurricane in U.S. history. Cruz later defended opposing relief in a 2016 presidential debate, saying those who criticized his position were doing so because of “political sniping.”
Appointed Birther, Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theorist To Campaign
During his presidential campaign in March 2016, Cruz appointed conservative activist Frank Gaffney to his foreign policy advisory board.
Before joining the Cruz campaign, Gaffney promoted the false “birther” conspiracy theory, alleging that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Gaffney falsely described Obama as “America’s first Muslim president.” Gaffney also made many anti-Muslim comments.
Called For Patrols Of Muslim Neighborhoods
In March 2016, Cruz called on law enforcement to “patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods.” Civil rights groups said his proposal was “blatantly unconstitutional” and condemned it.
Compared Marriage Equality To Nazism
After the Supreme Court decided to legalize same-sex marriage in 2015, Cruz said the decision was “fundamentally illegitimate.” Cruz said the order from the court was similar to “Nazi decrees.”
Appeared At Conference Of “Kill The Gays” Extremist
Cruz in February 2016 attended a conference put on by extremist radio host Kevin Swanson. Swanson openly supported imposing the death penalty on people for being gay.
Supported Policy That Would Kill Thousands Of Civilians
During the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Cruz called to “carpet bomb ISIS into oblivion.” After CNN debate moderator Wolf Blitzer pointed out that the strategy would kill thousands of civilians in the city of Raqqa, Cruz restated his support for the policy.
Denied Climate Change
During his 2018 senate campaign, Cruz denied the science of global climate change caused by increases in carbon dioxide due to pollution. He told a debate moderator, “The climate has been changing from the dawn of time. The climate will change as long as we have a planet Earth.” Cruz also said in 2015 that climate is “not science.”
Lied About Opposing Government Shutdowns
Cruz in 2018 claimed, “I have consistently opposed shutdowns.” But in 2013, Cruz supported a government shutdown and told Fox News host Sean Hannity he endorsed the idea of shutting down the government to further Republican political goals.
Invited Extremists To Promote Presidential Campaign
In his failed presidential campaign in 2016, Cruz held a rally where his candidacy was promoted by right-wing radio hosts with histories of racist, sexist rhetoric. The guests invited were Glenn Beck, Michael Berry, and Steve Deace.
Defended Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones
In July 2018, Facebook banned conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who claimed the Sandy Hook massacre and the 9/11 attacks were hoaxes and orchestrated events. Cruz criticized Facebook for the suspension and said, “Who the hell made Facebook the arbiter of political speech? Free speech includes views you disagree with.” In response, Jones praised Cruz for supporting him.
Smeared Democrats
Cruz said in November 2015, “The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats..”
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.