Ted Cruz has called JD Vance “insecure” after the Vice President accused the Texas senator of preparing to run for president in 2028.
Cruz said he was concentrating on the upcoming midterm elections after Vance claimed in an NBC News interview that it was “really obvious” he was seeking the Republican nomination.
“In my experience, people engage in political bomb-throwing when they’re feeling insecure,” Cruz told Politico.
“So he’s welcome to make whatever comments he likes. I’m going to keep focusing on the midterms and helping us win on Election Day in the next 30 days.”
The exchange followed remarks by Cruz earlier this year that the Republican Party had not yet settled on Vance as its candidate for president in 2028.
Vance was asked whether the Republican performance in the midterms would influence his decision on whether to launch a presidential bid. He replied: “Regardless of what happens over the next 35 days, there will be new information, new things you have to make a decision over.”
Vance, who has not announced a bid, added: “The American people make that decision.” He then turned his criticism towards his former Senate colleague.
“It is really obvious to me that, at this very moment, Ted Cruz is running for president,” Vance told NBC News. “At this moment, I’m not. I’m trying to help elect Republicans. That’s what I’m going to keep on doing.”
Cruz rejected the suggestion that Vance was more focused on his own political future, pointing to his record of campaigning for Republican candidates over the past decade.
He said no Republican had “campaigned for more” candidates than he had, adding that this year would be no exception. Cruz named more than a dozen candidates he had supported successfully, including Vance during his 2022 Senate campaign in Ohio.
“Indeed, ironically, I spent a full day on the road with JD Vance, campaigning with him when he was running for Senate in Ohio,” Cruz said. “I was very glad he won that race. I was very glad to help him.”
In August, Cruz said the party had not rallied around Vance as its 2028 nominee and that the issue remained open.
“Oh, no. There’s going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe,” Cruz said at the time. “I’ll certainly be part of the discussion.”
He also accused Vance of being an acolyte of Tucker Carlson, the podcaster and former Fox News host. Cruz and Carlson have clashed repeatedly, particularly over Cruz’s strong support for Israel.
Cruz and Vance were Senate colleagues before Vance was selected as Donald Trump’s running mate. Cruz was Trump’s strongest Republican challenger in the 2016 presidential campaign, eventually receiving 25 per cent of Republican support compared with Trump’s 45 per cent.
Cruz is not on the ballot in the midterms, as his Senate term runs until 2030, but he has been campaigning and fundraising for Republicans in swing states including Iowa and South Carolina, both early presidential primary states.
The Texas senator’s presidential prospects are regarded as a long shot. Prediction market Kalshi gives Vance a 45 per cent chance of becoming the Republican nominee in 2028, compared with two per cent for Cruz.
