Cruz Super PAC Uses Boehner Insult for Fundraising

A super PAC backing U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is bolstering its $1 million radio campaign with a series of new ads, including one that riffs on the choice words House Speaker John Boehner reportedly had for the Texas Republican.

"The media and even some in his own party, like Speaker John Boehner, attacked Ted Cruz, referring to him as a pain in the you-know-what because his bold actions fighting to keep the promises he made to me," a woman says in the minute-long spot.

The line is a reference to an August report that Boehner called Cruz a "jackass" at a Colorado fundraiser. Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, has not distanced himself from the comment, suggesting in a September interview that he stands by it.

The super PAC, known as Keep the Promise I, started airing the ads in late September, and they are set to run through the end of the year. Currently, they are being aired on a mix of Christian networks and conservative programs nationally as well as in the early voting states of Iowa and South Carolina.

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Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton is returning to Texas this month, her campaign announced last Friday.

The former secretary of state is scheduled to hold a campaign event Nov. 17 in Dallas. It will be her second campaign event in Texas, following an October rally in San Antonio where she received the endorsement of U.S. Housing Secretary Julian Castro.

She will also raise money for her campaign later that evening in Austin, according to an invitation. The event, which is being held at the home of filmmakers Clark and Jesse Lyda, costs $1,000 to get into and $2,700 to both attend and receive a photo with Clinton.

Clinton made her first trip to Texas as a candidate in June, when she delivered a speech about voting rights in Houston. She has since come back to the state for several fundraisers.

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The Latino Victory Fund announced Tuesday it is endorsing former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego who is running for the Congressional District 23 seat he lost to Republican Will Hurd in 2014.

"We are proud to endorse Pete Gallego for Congress," said Cristóbal Alex, president of the fund, in a statement. "Throughout his public service career Pete has worked tirelessly to increase opportunities for Latinos and support our community.  We look forward to having him back in Congress fighting for the issues that matter to our families.”

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A group of 38 Democrats in the Legislature have signed on to a letter Wednesday asking the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to monitor Texas’ actions against Planned Parenthood to ensure they’re legal.

Texas health officials announced in late October that they want to kick Planned Parenthood out of the state Medicaid program although the inspector general at the Health and Human Services Commission later clarified that no final action has been taken against the group.

In their letter, the Democrats write, “We request that CMS continue to monitor the legality of the state’s actions and urge CMS to use every tool available to enforce the law and ensure that baseless political attacks do not interfere with a patient’s ability to access critical care from quality, trusted providers.”