Sen. Ted Cruz, in an interview, said he is particularly well-positioned to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, referencing his second-place finish behind Donald Trump in the party's 2016 primary.
Cruz, R-Texas, was talking to The Truth Gazette, a conservative news service operated by 15-year-old Brilyn Hollyhand. Asked by Hollyhand whether he would consider running again for the White House, Cruz responded, "Absolutely. In a heartbeat."
"You know, I ran in 2016. It was the most fun I've ever had in my life. We had a very crowded field. We had 17 candidates in the race — a very strong field. And I ended up placing second," Cruz said.
Cruz obtained the second-most delegates at the Republican Party’s 2016 convention in Cleveland, where a contingent of his supporters attempted to derail Trump's nomination and disrupted the proceedings, Politico reported. Cruz failed to endorse Trump, but said Republicans should vote their conscience.
Cruz did not endorse Trump in a prime-time address, but two months after the convention, he announced that he would be voting for him in the general election.
The senator was one of the Republican lawmakers who led the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election on Jan. 6.
But he is no stranger to scandal. He escaped to Cancun on vacation during a crippling storm in his state during the COVID-19 epidemic, promting widespread derision.
Business Insider has called Cruz the most ridiculed senator in Congress.
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