U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters he will seek a third term in 2024, an announcement that means Cruz is likely not pursuing a presidential bid.
The news first broke Monday night when Cruz told supporters that he will be on the ballot in 2024, but for re-election, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“After Donald Trump, there is no Republican in the country that Democrats want to beat more than me,” Cruz said, according to the Chronicle.
That’s why he said his focus in 2024 will be on keeping “Texas red.” He told supporters he expects Democrats to pour significant funding into unseating him.
Cruz ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, coming in second in the crowded field behind Trump.
He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012 and was re-elected in 2018 with a defeat over Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who also competed in the 2020 presidential contest for the Democratic nomination.
Cruz had previously said he was considering a presidential bid, including during an interview on Newsmax in the summer of 2021 where he noted running in 2016 was “the most fun I’ve ever had.”
Only two Republicans have officially declared their intent to run for the GOP presidential nomination — Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who previously served as an ambassador under Trump and announced her candidacy on Twitter Tuesday.
Other rumored contenders include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s former Vice President, Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
