Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) could be in Iowa, trying to repeat his come-from-behind victory in the last round of competitive GOP caucuses nearly eight years ago.

Instead, Cruz is in the nation’s capital working on legislation and in his home state of Texas running for a third term in the Senate despite a state law dating back to Lyndon Johnson that would have allowed him to do both simultaneously. He insists he is exactly where he wants to be right now.