The conflict Republicans are waging over fiscal policy carries huge implications for the party's 2014 election chances, says Sen. Ted Cruz.
It's the "most important fight for Republicans to win politically in 2014," the Texan said Monday night on Fox News' "The Kelly File."
Story continues below video.
"You look at the past four elections — 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012. Three of the last four — '06, '08 and '12 — were disasters for Republicans."
In those years, the party was too passive, Cruz said.
"We stayed quiet. We went along to get along. We didn't stand on principle. The only year that was good for Republicans was 2010, when we painted in bold colors, not in pale pastels. We stood for principle," he said, referring to the year the party retook control of the House.
Cruz has fiercely advocated that Republicans refuse to vote for any budget that includes funding for Obamacare.
On "The Kelly File," he shot back at
President Barack Obama, who noted recently that when he was a freshman senator, as Cruz is now, he kept a low profile. The problem is that Obama still takes the same stance, Cruz said.
"The president has kept such a low profile, he has been AWOL," he said. ”He has not been part of the negotiations. He's been refusing to even talk to Congress."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.