‘Lose Cruz’ PAC launches million-dollar effort to oust Texas senator in 2024

A new political action committee launched on Wednesday targeting Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), seeking to raise millions of dollars to unseat the Texas Republican in the 2024 elections.

The Lose Cruz PAC is aiming to seize on Cruz’s low approval ratings and flip a Texas Senate seat blue for the first time since 1993. The group has not yet endorsed a challenger to Cruz, but it could serve as a boost to Democratic opponent Rep. Colin Allred, who is eyeing the seat.

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“LoseCruz is a campaign led by Texans who are laser-focused on one goal: defeating Ted Cruz. We’re shining a light on his record to remind folks just how extreme and out of touch he is with everyday Texans,” the group wrote on its website. “Cruz represents a clear and present danger to American democracy. His destructive brand of politics and extremism has divided our country and limited our freedoms.”

The effort comes after Cruz narrowly won reelection in 2018 after defeating Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke by only 3 percentage points, with outside groups hoping to seize on recent controversies to boost his opponents.

For example, the group is likely to tie Cruz with unpopular political figures in the Lone Star State, such as state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was impeached late last month over allegations of bribery and abuse of office. The PAC may also point back to a scandal Cruz faced in 2021 when the Texas senator left on a tropical vacation to Cancun while his state dealt with severe power outages due to a winter storm.

Despite the efforts to remove Cruz from office, the incumbent benefits from widespread name recognition and a strong Republican base throughout the state. In fact, his seat is predicted to lean Republican, according to ratings from the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

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A spokesperson for Cruz did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner. 

Cruz’s race is one of eight Senate seats Republicans must seek to defend in 2024 compared to 23 for Democrats, putting the GOP in a good position to seize control of the upper chamber. Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with the advantage of having Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker vote if needed.