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U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw is clearly no fan of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
"He's insecure, unlikable, unattractive and not as smart as he thinks he is," Crenshaw said in an interview on Friday. "Of course, he doesn't like a guy like me."
The comments come just a day after Crenshaw used a podcast interview released on Thursday in which he talked about reasons why he lost his primary election last month.
In that interview, the Houston Republican said there was a double-edged sword to his early and unusual fame in Congress. It put him on national talk shows and made him a prolific fundraiser early on. But it also made him a target of many on the right who saw him as a potential rival and a good target.
"Especially conservatives, there's nothing they love more than to tear down their own and figure out a reason why, even if they have to make it up," Crenshaw said on Sources Say with Juliegrace Brufke.
He said Republicans love going hunting for politicians they deem RINOs, "Republicans in name only." In his case, he said influencers on the right created a false perception that he wanted red flag laws for gun purchases and that he was getting rich of insider stock trading. Neither is true, Crenshaw said.
Then, he accused Cruz, who endorsed his GOP primary opponent, of seeding it.
"I think the source of a lot of it is Senator Cruz," Crenshaw said. "That's been obvious to me for years, years and years," he added. "He just finally pulled his mask off."
Crenshaw said there were always problems with Cruz, to the point that the Navy SEAL went to Cruz in 2021 and flat out told Cruz he was never going to primary him, if that was his concern.
In this year's primary, Cruz endorsed Crenshaw's top GOP challenger, state Rep. Steve Toth, who went on to win.
On the podcast, Crenshaw theorized that Cruz got into the race because Republican megadonor James Marling pushed the senator into it.
Marling, a Texas banker and longtime Cruz donor, was a major donor to Toth's campaign and a super PAC supporting Toth. He couldn't be reached for comment Friday.
Cruz, meanwhile, doesn't seem too bothered by the podcast episode. He responded by posting a meme online that just says: "I don't think about you at all."
 | Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter |
Who's Up, Who's Down
A daily stock market-style report on key players in Texas politics.
Up: Florida Virtual Schools.
A Florida-based virtual school could receive Texas taxpayer funds through the state's new $1 billion private school voucher program, despite provisions in the law meant to block out-of-state schools from joining the program. State records show that the Texas Comptroller's office approved NFC Academy in Tallahassee to participate in the voucher program on March 13. The school, which teaches a biblical worldview to students in grades K-12, had been "pursuing approval" for the Texas program, according to its website.
Down: Texas Farmers.
The war in Iran is "just another punch" for Texas farmers who are watching the price of fertilizers climb. Key components of fertilizer come via the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has shut down in retaliation for U.S and Israeli strikes. Nearly 30% of the global fertilizer supply comes through the Strait.
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The congressman was among those angry with the city for a social media post on Friday that said city offices would be closed for a "Spring Holiday." It sparked backlash from conservative election officials and influencers because they felt it was slighting the importance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The city ultimately took the post down.
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Kamala Harris isn't done. The former Vice President is heading to New York City next week to be part of the National Action Network convention in New York City. The event, hosted by the Rev. Al Green, is typically a chance for potential presidential candidates to get before civil rights leaders from around the nation. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., are among the other speakers who will take the stage starting Wednesday. Also speaking? U.S. Rep. Al Green, the Houston Democrat who is fighting for his Congressional career in a Democratic primary runoff battle against U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee on May 26.
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