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MILWAUKEE — The last time U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz took the stage of the Republican National Convention, he was booed for not endorsing then-candidate Donald Trump.
No one was booing him this year.
Cruz praised Trump as the party’s nominee on the national convention main stage Wednesday. Speaking on the second day of the convention, Cruz said Trump would bring order to the border and increase security throughout the country.
“God bless Donald J. Trump,” Cruz bellowed at the top of his speech to a standing ovation and some of the loudest applause of the night.
Cruz spoke on the second night of the convention that’s been animated by the recent assassination attempt against Trump, who was grazed on the ear by a bullet while stumping in Pennsylvania this past weekend. National security was the theme of the night. Cruz accused President Joe Biden of neglecting the border and allowing crime to enter the country. Cruz evoked the names of Americans allegedly killed by undocumented immigrants, including 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. With each name, he led the crowd in a chant of “Every damn day.”
“As a result of Joe Biden’s presidency, your family is less safe. Your children are less safe. The country is less safe. But here’s the good news: we can fix it. And when Donald Trump is president, we will fix it!” Cruz said. “We know this because he’s done it before. I know this because I worked hand in hand with President Trump to secure our border and we achieved the lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45 years.”
Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, were in the audience as Cruz spoke.
It was a stark contrast to the 2016 convention, when he famously told voters to “vote your conscience” and declined to name Trump during his speech.
Cruz’s 2016 speech came shortly after he lost the Republican primary in a bitter fight against Trump where Trump lobbed personal insults against Cruz and his family. Trump insulted the appearance of his wife, Heidi, and suggested his father, Raphael Cruz, was involved in the John F. Kennedy assassination. Cruz in response called Trump a “sniveling coward.”
“We have no king or queen, we have no dictator, we the people constrain government,” Cruz said at the 2016 convention. “We deserve leaders who stand for principle, who unite us all behind shared values, who cast aside anger for love. That is the standard we should expect from everybody.”
“Vote your conscience” became a defining line of the convention. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton quoted Cruz in a tweet with a link to her campaign website.
Other Republicans at the convention that year loudly booed Cruz, including many Texas Republicans, who had rallied behind Trump.
“I am not in the habit of supporting people who have attacked my wife and attacked my father,” Cruz said that year at a Texas delegation breakfast after his speech.
Cruz was not invited to speak at the 2020 RNC. The convention that year was drastically pared down due to the pandemic.
Cruz eventually endorsed Trump in September of the 2016 cycle. He later became one of the president’s biggest supporters in the Senate. He described the transformation as one of pragmatism to accomplish policy they agreed on.
“We had a primary where Donald Trump and I beat the living crap out of each other,” Cruz said in a 2022 appearance on “The View.” “I could have decided my feelings are hurt, I’m going to take the ball and go home and not do my job. But … we have an opportunity to make a difference for this country.”
Cruz also was one of the biggest supporters of Trump’s challenges to the 2020 presidential election.
Cruz was widely anticipated to launch another presidential campaign after his 2016 loss. He quieted whispers about another presidential run this year, saying he would be focusing on reelection to the Senate. He faces a competitive challenge from U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, and is taking the race seriously after former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s near victory in 2018.
Still, Cruz said running for president was the “most fun I’ve ever had in my life” and that he expects to run again in the future.
Cruz endorsed Trump this cycle in January after the former president easily won the Iowa Caucuses.
Cruz was not the only former Trump-rival to speak on the stage on Tuesday night. Two of Trump’s biggest Republican primary rivals this year also addressed the convention.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis both delivered their support to Trump. Haley was the last major candidate to drop out of the Republican primary in March. DeSantis was floated as a serious challenger to Trump and shared many of the same strategists as Cruz.
“Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period,” Haley said to applause.
Trump entered the convention floor and took his seat just before Cruz, Haley and DeSantis spoke, facing his former opponents in person.
Voting FAQ: 2024 Elections
When is the next election? What dates do I need to know?
Election Day for the general election is November 5, and early voting will run from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. The deadline to register to vote and/or change your voter registration address is Oct. 7. Applications to vote by mail must be received by your county of residence – not postmarked – by Oct. 25.
What’s on the ballot for the general election?
In addition to the president, eligible Texans have the opportunity to cast their ballots for many Texas officials running for office at the federal, state and local levels.
This includes representatives in the U.S. and Texas houses and the following elected offices:
-1 U.S Senator (Ted Cruz)
– 1 of 3 Railroad Commissioners
– 15 State Senators
– 7 State Board of Education members
– 3 members of the Texas Supreme Court
– 3 members of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
– 5 Chief Justices and various justices for Texas Courts of Appeals
Lower-level judges and local county offices will also appear on the ballot:
– Various district judges, including on criminal and family courts
– County Courts at Law
– Justices of the Peace
– District Attorneys
– County Attorneys
– Sheriffs
– Constables
– Tax Assessor-Collectors
How do I make sure I’m registered to vote?
You can check to see if you’re registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of State’s website. You’ll need one of the following three combinations to log in: Your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth. Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in. Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier, which appears on your voter registration certificate.
What if I missed the voter registration deadline?
You must be registered to vote in a Texas county by Oct. 7 to vote in the Nov. 5 presidential election. You can still register for other elections.
If you’re registered but didn’t update your address by the deadline, you may still be able to vote at your previous voting location or on a limited ballot. (Voters are typically assigned precincts based on where they live. In most major counties, voters can vote anywhere on Election Day, but some counties require you vote within your precinct. If that is the case, you may have to return to your previous precinct. See which counties allow countywide Election Day voting here. You can usually find your precinct listed on your voter registration certificate or on when checking your registration online.)
If you moved from one county to another, you may be able to vote on a ballot limited to the elections you would qualify to vote in at both locations, such as statewide races. However, limited ballots are only available during early voting. Find your county election official here and contact them to ask about or request a limited ballot.
What can I do if I have questions about voting?
You can contact your county elections official or call the Texas Secretary of State’s helpline at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). A coalition of voting rights groups is also helping voters navigate election concerns through the 866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) voter-protection helpline. The coalition also has hotlines available for voters who speaker other languages or have accessibility needs.
For help in Spanish, call 888-VE-Y-VOTA or 888-839-8682.
For help in Asian languages, call 888-API-VOTE or 888-274-8683.
For help in Arabic, call 888-YALLA-US or 888-925-5287.
For help in American Sign Language through a video, call 301-818-VOTE or 301-818-8683.
For help from Disability Rights Texas, call 888-796-VOTE or 888-796-8683.
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