“The truth of the matter is Republican leadership are the most effective Democrat leaders we’ve ever seen. They’ve passed more Democratic priorities than Harry Reid ever could,” Cruz said of the Senate minority leader on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”…

Cruz did not directly answer the question of whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) should step down, saying McConnell has the votes in the Senate to stay.

“At the end of the day, it depends on where the votes are in the conference. Right now, Mitch has the votes to remain as majority leader. And so what I’m calling on — rather than focusing on individuals, you know, what the press always wants to do is turn it into a food fight and a personality battle,” Cruz said.

The Republican also would not say whether he thinks Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who many in the House want to be speaker despite his insistence that he doesn’t want the job, is a true conservative.