Ted Cruz

Biography

Overview

Ted Cruz is the junior U.S. Senator from Texas and a member of the Republican Party. First elected in 2012, Cruz is the first Hispanic American to serve as a U.S. senator from Texas. He is a former Texas Solicitor General (2003–2008) and served as a policy advisor in the George W. Bush administration. Since 2025, he has chaired the Senate Commerce Committee. In 2025, he led the effort to pass the TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Career

As Texas Solicitor General, Cruz argued nine times before the U.S. Supreme Court, winning five cases and losing four. Notable cases include District of Columbia v. Heller (Second Amendment), Van Orden v. Perry (Ten Commandments monument), and League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry (congressional redistricting). In the Senate, Cruz led the 2013 federal government shutdown effort to defund the Affordable Care Act—described by supporters as demonstrating commitment to limiting government, but criticized by some as ineffective. He authored S. 2195, passed unanimously and signed into law, denying visas to UN ambassadors engaged in espionage or terrorism. In 2025, he drafted and led the TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed into law by President Trump.

Prior political experience

Cruz was first elected to the Senate in 2012, winning the Republican primary runoff against Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst by a 14-point margin despite being outspent $19 million to $7 million. In the general election, he defeated Democrat Paul Sadler with 56.4% of the vote (4.5 million votes) to Sadler's 40.6%. Cruz was reelected in 2018 in a competitive race against Democrat Beto O'Rourke, winning 50.9% to 48.3%. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary with over 80% of the vote. He was reelected again in 2024, defeating Democrat Colin Allred 53.1% to 44.5%.

Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ideology

Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)

Liberal

Conservative

119th Congress+0.781

Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)

−1

+1

-0.179

Source: Voteview DW-NOMINATE · 633 scored votes

Campaigns targeting Ted Cruz

No active campaigns target Ted Cruz right now.

Start a campaign targeting Ted Cruz

Officeholding history

Term	Seat	Term dates	Termination	Predecessor	Successor
3rd	U.S. Senate TX Class 1	2025–present	In progress	Ted Cruz	—
2nd	U.S. Senate TX Class 1	2019–2025	Term ended	Ted Cruz	Ted Cruz
1st	U.S. Senate TX Class 1	2013–2019	Term ended	—	Ted Cruz

Committee assignments

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
SenateChairman· 2025–present
Africa and Global Health Policy
SenateChairman· 2025–present
Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights
SenateChairman· 2025–present
Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
Senate· 2025–present
Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism
Senate· 2025–present
Border Security and Immigration
Senate· 2025–present
the Constitution
Senate· 2025–present
Crime and Counterterrorism
Senate· 2025–present
Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues
Senate· 2025–present
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Senate· 2025–present
Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries
SenateEx Officio· 2025–present
Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness
SenateEx Officio· 2025–present
Aviation, Space, and Innovation
SenateEx Officio· 2025–present
Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy
SenateEx Officio· 2025–present
Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety
SenateEx Officio· 2025–present
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Senate· 2025–present
Telecommunications and Media
SenateEx Officio· 2025–present

Current term legislation

Bills sponsored this term10

Bills cosponsored this term10

Elections

Year	Seat	Result	Vote share	Field
—	—	Pending	—	—