Who is Ted Cruz?
Ted Cruz has represented Texas in the US Senate since 2013 and was reelected in 2018 and 2024. Born in Calgary, Canada, to a Cuban-born father and an American mother, he studied at Princeton and Harvard Law School, clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist and served as Solicitor General of Texas. He finished second to Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. Since 2025 he has chaired the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees technology, telecommunications and transportation. In August 2026 he said openly that he wants to run for president, and he has campaigned for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Previously: Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (since January 2025) · Candidate for the Republican presidential nomination (2015-2016) · Solicitor General of Texas (2003-2008)
Documented positions
- Released an AI policy framework in September 2025 and introduced the SANDBOX Act, which would let AI developers seek waivers from federal rules.Source: commerce.senate.gov
- Proposed a ten-year bar on state AI regulation in the 2025 budget bill, a provision the Senate removed by a vote of 99-1.Source: nytimes.com
- Led the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which requires platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate images, including AI deepfakes, and was signed into law in May 2025.Source: fox4news.com
- Voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the Senate 51-50 in July 2025.Source: senate.gov
- Said in June 2025 that a US strike on Iran's Fordow nuclear site made sense and called for maximum pressure and economic sanctions to bring about a change of government in Iran.Source: texastribune.org
- Urged the Supreme Court in December 2020 to hear an emergency challenge to Pennsylvania's presidential election results.Source: cbsnews.com
- Has disputed the scientific consensus on climate change and opposed federal regulation of greenhouse gases.Source: science.org
- Described the US strikes on Iran in March 2026 as targeted strikes against a direct threat and said he would not support a major, extended invasion of Iran.Source: foxnews.com
- Said in April 2025 that he was not a fan of tariffs, calling them a tax on consumers, and hoped the new tariffs would be short-lived leverage to lower tariffs worldwide.Source: yahoo.com
Record
In 2013 Cruz spoke for 21 hours on the Senate floor in an effort to defund the Affordable Care Act, part of the dispute that led to a 16-day government shutdown. On 6 January 2021 he objected to counting Arizona's electoral votes and proposed an electoral commission to review the 2020 results; the Senate rejected the objections. As Commerce chair he has focused on AI policy, online safety, aviation and spectrum.
Supporters cite his constitutional litigation record, the TAKE IT DOWN Act and his consistent conservative votes. Critics cite the 2013 shutdown, his role in the 2020 election challenges and his opposition to climate policy.
In their words
“it's no secret that I want to be president”
