'We Could Lose Every Single Statewide Race in Texas': Ted Cruz Sounds His Party's Alarm on His Podcast

AUSTIN - Sen. Ted Cruz warned Friday that Republicans could lose every statewide race in Texas this cycle if they have a bad night, the Wall Street Journal reported. 'Texas is excruciatingly close,' Cruz said on his podcast today, discussing strong voter turnout from Democrats. 'We could lose Texas, and by the way, not just the Senate race. We could lose every statewide race in Texas.' Cruz, a Republican, has represented Texas in the Senate since 2013.

The warning also circulated Friday as a brief 15-second voice clip released on FactPost, a social media account associated with the Democratic Party, which posted it without further information or context, the Washington Current reported. In the clip, Cruz says: 'By the way, Texas is excruciatingly close. Understand: We could lose Texas. Let me repeat that: We could lose Texas. And, by the way, not just the Senate race. We could lose every single statewide race in Texas. That's how close these numbers are.' This station held the clip at midday as a single-source watch item; the Journal's report of the same remarks from Cruz's own podcast is the second source that moved it to coverage.

Cruz has survived close Texas races himself - he defended his seat against Beto O'Rourke in an unusually close election in 2018 and beat Colin Allred in 2024, the Journal noted. This year the top of the ticket is the Senate race between Democratic state Rep. James Talarico and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is backed by President Donald Trump and won the Republican nomination after defeating incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a primary. Early voting ends Friday; whether Cruz's bad-night scenario is a forecast or a turnout argument aimed at his own side, Election Day is Tuesday.