Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, mocked California at a campaign rally over the weekend as Democrats invest time and money into turning Texas blue like the left-leaning Golden State.
“We are seeing tens of millions of dollars flooding into the state of Texas from liberals all over the country who desperately want to turn the state of Texas blue,” Cruz told supporters Saturday during a rally in Katy, Texas, according to CNN. “They want us to be just like California, right down to tofu and silicon and dyed hair.”
Cruz qualified his joke by referencing his Californian wife, Heidi Cruz, who he described as a stereotypical West Coast vegetarian.
“She’s wonderful, but I brought her to the great state of Texas,” Cruz added.
Cruz is only 4 percentage points ahead of his Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to RealClearPolitics’ poll aggregator on Monday. O’Rourke has become a fundraising powerhouse, earning $10.4 million in the second quarter of 2018, more than double that of his opponent.
White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney told a closed-door meeting of Republican donors in New York City on Saturday that Cruz could be unseated during his November election, despite Texas being a traditionally red state.
“There’s a very real possibility we will win a race for Senate in Florida and lose a race in Texas for Senate, OK?” Mulvaney said, the New York Times reported. “I don’t think it’s likely, but it’s a possibility. How likable is a candidate? That still counts.”
