Rep. Mike McCaul will not close the door on a possible challenge to Senator Ted Cruz in 2018. Given an opportunity to do so several times from Texas Tribune’s CEO at the state’s capital on Tuesday, the six-term congressman would not rule it out.
"I think any elected official, you don't close off your options," McCaul replied. "I have several options potentially in front of me, and I'm not going to say no to any of them, whether it be serving an administration in a national security post, whether it be, possibly when I am term-limited on Homeland, going to chair the Foreign Relations committee or going home. I have five kids."
There has been lots of speculation regarding a potential Cruz challenge and most eyes are turning to McCaul.
While being popular with grassroots conservatives, Cruz’s renegade behavior in the Senate has made him the ire of many Republican lawmakers. John Boehner famously referred to Cruz as "Lucifer in the flesh." After his refusal to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention, there were a lot of Trump supporters upset with the junior senator. Cruz critics now see an opening for a challenge – uniting Trump Republicans and establishment GOP voters who never liked Cruz to begin with.
During his presidential bid, Ted Cruz struggled earning endorsements from Republican members in his own chamber. Only in the eleventh hour during the primary did Republican senators begin to throw weight behind him amid the frightening prospect of a Trump nomination.
When Cruz refused to endorse Trump during the RNC convention, a livid Trump said he wouldn’t accept Cruz’s endorsement were he to change his mind.
Ironically, these Trump and anti-Trump forces may unite in 2018 to unseat Cruz.