A reelection bid in dead-red Texas should be a foregone conclusion for a staunch conservative like Sen. Ted Cruz, but President Donald Trump continues to make political life complicated for the junior senator, The New York Times reports.
Dating back to Trump's nomination after a vitriolic primary, Cruz has had to straddle the line between his policies and beliefs vs. incurring the wrath of the president's ardent following.
Two years ago it was the struggle to endorse a man he said he never would. The latest: a difference in border policies and the political backlash of separating families at the border, the Times reports.
Cruz says we need more judges to lessen detention time; Trump says that's ridiculous - we need a stronger border with more cops.
How all that plays out ahead of November's midterms is anyone's guess, but Cruz is taking nothing for granted against Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke.
"These are strange and volatile times," Cruz told the Times.
Cruz has a battle on two fronts: O'Rourke, whom he should defeat, and the evolving Republican party under Trump.
"There are always raw emotions in the ups and downs of politics," Cruz told the Times. "That was true on the Ides of March, and it’s true today."
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