Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, landed the endorsement from the National Border Patrol Council Tuesday in his bid for re-election.
“I am deeply humbled to have the support and endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council,” Cruz wrote on Twitter.
I am deeply humbled to have the support and endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council. You have my word that I will always, always, always have your back! https://t.co/19KD6BiMnx #ToughAsTexas #KeepTexasRed #CruzCrew #txsen pic.twitter.com/ftjdiuIv7P
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 3, 2018
The Border Patrol union’s president Brandon Judd introduced Cruz at a campaign stop in Edinburg, Texas, located near the southern tip of the state by the Mexican-American border, as part of Cruz’s three-day trip visiting 12 cities to officially launch his re-election campaign.
Judd emphasized that the union does not seek out candidates to endorse, but that Cruz was the exception to the rule.
“Sen. Ted Cruz is the only person that we’ve ever reached out to and said, ‘You are who we want, you have the morals, you have the ethics, you can bring true change to this country, you can secure the border,’” Judd said.
Judd also emphasized Cruz’s consistency on the trail and in office.
“He is the same before, during, and after the campaign. What he tells you he will do, he will do,” Judd said.
The endorsement comes as the race for the Senate is becoming more competitive than expected.
Cruz’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, reported $6.7 million in campaign contributions in the first quarter of 2018 on Tuesday.
Though Cruz has yet to release his fundraising numbers from the last quarter, O’Rourke has outraised Cruz in three of the last four reporting periods.
The endorsement from the Border Patrol union also comes the same day President Trump announced his intention to station military troops on the southern border to prevent illegal immigration until the construction of a wall.
