Cruz beat his challenger by 9 points, while Trump prevailed over his by 14 points. Still, Cruz performed better this year than he did in 2018

In 2024, during Trump's hush money trial in New York, the then-publisher of the Enquirer David Pecker testified that he had an agreement with Trump's campaign to plant false, damaging articles about Cruz. The Enquirer also published a story falsely tying Ted Cruz's father to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Cruz, 53, fought back, seeking in the final weeks of the campaign to paint Allred as wanting to allow boys to play in girls sports. He also tied Allred, 43, to Vice President Kamala Harris, who was expected to lose the presidential vote in the state, calling the two Democrats “dos liberales,” or, “two liberals” in Spanish-language advertising.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has won reelection in Texas to a third term after a campaign in which he criticized his Democratic challenger as too liberal.

The Texas senator was reelected by a nine-point margin, compared to the president-elect's 14-point win in the Lone Star State.

Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's success was rooted in rural Texas from the Panhandle to the High Plains where he ran up the score.

Cruz retained his seat, beating back Colin Allred and keeping alive Texas’ streak of not electing a Democratic Senator in more than 30 years.

Every week, Eye on Politics breaks down some of the biggest political stories grabbing headlines in North Texas and beyond.