This time GOP leaders are hesitant to criticize him, suggesting both how Cruz has lassoed the conservative tea-party wing of his party and how much influence—if not outright leverage—that segment could exert in the election.
Cruz’s approach might be excused, given his politics, except that the Texas Republican serves as the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s vice chairman for grassroots outreach. On the NRSC website, his mug shot floats alongside those of Chairman Jerry Moran of Kansas and Vice Chairman Rob Portman of Ohio.
But a united triumvirate, this is not.
In their effort to win a majority in the Senate, establishment Republicans are focused on reelecting longtime members such as Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Pat Roberts of Kansas, and Thad Cochran of Mississippi, all of whom face primary challenges. Cruz’s decision not to endorse in primaries matters because his backing would carry significant tea-party heft.
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