{"id":2654466,"date":"2026-09-04T07:10:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T11:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/for-ted-cruz-2028-is-about-the-future-and-what-might-have-been\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T07:11:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T11:11:46","slug":"for-ted-cruz-2028-is-about-the-future-and-what-might-have-been","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/for-ted-cruz-2028-is-about-the-future-and-what-might-have-been\/","title":{"rendered":"For Ted Cruz, 2028 is about the future and what might have been"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffor-ted-cruz-2028-is-about-the-future-and-what-might-have-been%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2654466&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Ted Cruz is considering a run for teh 2028 Republican presidential nomination, offering a potential chance for a comeback after his 2016 primary challenge. In 2016, Cruz was a leading conservative contender, winning 12 states and gaining important support, but ultimately lost to donald Trump. Cruz&#8217;s campaign was praised for raising more funds than some prominent Republicans and coming close to winning the nomination. Despite initial resistance, Cruz endorsed Trump in subsequent elections and remains ambitious about future leadership, reflecting ongoing debates within the GOP about its direction-weather as a small-government conservative or a more populist, big-government party. Cruz may face competition from figures like JD Vance and Ron DeSantis and could test his ideology against Vance, who represents a more nationalist populism. Cruz\u2019s past experiences and ideological stance, along with ancient precedents of previous runners-up winning later, suggest he might aim for a second shot at the presidency, with Trump perhaps playing a role in shaping the 2028 race.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ted-cruz\/\">Ted Cruz<\/a> (R-TX) seeks the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\">2028 Republican presidential nomination<\/a>, it will be a chance at a do-over.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, Cruz had the best chance of winning the GOP nod of any movement conservative since <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ronald-reagan\/\">Ronald Reagan<\/a> in 1980 and, then again as the incumbent president, in 1984.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4713158\/ted-cruz-2028-future-president-run\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>For Ted Cruz, 2028 is about the future and what might have been<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4711297\/mamdani-sign-petition-aoc-president-2028\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mamdani signed petition marking AOC as \u2018most viable\u2019 2028 presidential pick<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4706737\/aoc-pivot-2028-begun-will-it-work\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>AOC\u2019s pivot for 2028 has begun. Will it work?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then came <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruz still put up a fight. He beat Trump in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iowa\/\">Iowa<\/a>, preventing what might have been a coronation given the future president\u2019s subsequent victories in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-hampshire\/\">New Hampshire<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/south-carolina\/\">South Carolina<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe outraised George W. Bush. We outraised John McCain. We outraised Mitt Romney,\u201d Cruz <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2636506\/ted-cruzs-next-battleground\/\">reminded<\/a> the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> during an interview in his Senate office in 2023, referring to their Republican presidential primary campaigns. \u201cWe ended up receiving 8 million votes and winning 12 states. Other than Trump and myself, no other Republican won more than a single state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe came very, very close to winning,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd I can tell you that campaign was the most fun I\u2019ve ever had in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the reasons many in the conservative movement held out on Trump, who had been a stranger to most of their causes before running for president, was that it was their best opportunity to beat the Republican establishment and capture the nomination in a generation. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >weak front-runner prior<\/a> to Trump\u2019s entry into the race. In addition to Cruz, there was then-Florida Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\">Marco Rubio<\/a> (now the secretary of state), then-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and neurosurgeon Ben Carson, among others. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump interrupted all that. Cruz was unhappy, refusing to endorse the real estate developer and reality TV star who bested him for the nomination during his speech at the 2016 Republican convention in Cleveland. (It should be noted that Trump took some shots at Cruz\u2019s wife and father during the campaign.) Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-lee\/\">Mike Lee<\/a> (R-UT) was also a vocal holdout.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike the Never Trumpers, these two senators came around once Trump proved to be conservative enough. Cruz endorsed Trump in all three general elections. But his presidential ambitions never left him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that I want to be president,\u201d Cruz said on a podcast last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This time, Cruz may get a second chance to not only win the nomination but also the argument about the GOP\u2019s future. \u201cGoing forward, we\u2019re in the midst of a debate about who our party is and what we believe, and I think economically we\u2019ve got to debate, \u2018Are we a small-government, free-market conservative party? Are we a big-government, nanny-state party?\u201d he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4699684\/ted-cruz-suggests-post-trump-gop-realignment\/\">told<\/a> MS NOW last month. The Texas senator is the first important Republican outside the Trump administration to tease a presidential run. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruz would possibly get to test his ideology and ambition against Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\">JD Vance<\/a>, who represents a more thoroughgoing version of populism and nationalism than Trump but without either the baggage or benefits that come with decades of celebrity. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn Ted Cruz, I mean, look \u2014 clearly Ted is a very authentic and likable guy, and I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll do great,\u201d Vance <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4712406\/vance-says-ted-cruz-likable-authentic-as-texas-senator-eyes-white-house-bid\/\">deadpanned<\/a> when asked about his former Senate colleague\u2019s presidential hopes during a White House press briefing on Thursday. Authenticity and likability are often named as Cruz liabilities, making the vice president\u2019s quip reminiscent of Barack Obama\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2013\/01\/president-obama-likeable-enough-086156\">backhanded compliment<\/a> to Hillary Clinton in 2008: \u201cYou\u2019re likable enough, Hillary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruz has frequently clashed with Fox News personality-turned-podcaster Tucker Carlson, whom Vance has been <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4712315\/jd-vance-defends-friendship-tucker-carlson\/\">pressured to denounce<\/a>, in a possible prelude to campaign fights over Israel and foreign policy. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Supreme Court Justice <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/clarence-thomas\/\">Clarence Thomas<\/a>, about whom Cruz has written a book, provided the Texan with good campaign fodder recently. \u201cYou\u2019re one of the people who actually stands up, particularly at times when others seem to wither, and I appreciate it,\u201d the iconic conservative justice said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruz can hope to draw on precedent. Reagan was the runner-up for the Republican nomination in 1976 before winning it in 1980. George H.W. Bush was runner-up in 1980 before winning in 1988; Bob Dole in 1988 before winning in 1996; John McCain in 2000 before winning in 2008; and Mitt Romney finished second in the popular vote in 2008 before capturing the nomination in 2012. (Mike Huckabee was runner-up in delegate count.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4712406\/vance-says-ted-cruz-likable-authentic-as-texas-senator-eyes-white-house-bid\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4712406\/vance-says-ted-cruz-likable-authentic-as-texas-senator-eyes-white-house-bid\/\">VANCE SAYS TED CRUZ IS \u2018LIKABLE AND AUTHENTIC\u2019 AS TEXAS SENATOR EYES UP A WHITE HOUSE BID<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-desantis\/\">Ron DeSantis<\/a> (R-FL) might similarly want a do-over of his promising but ultimately ineffectual 2024 campaign against Trump. DeSantis may be viewed as a more current figure in 2028 than Cruz, who will have been in Washington for 15 years by the start of the primaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump may also want to play kingmaker in 2028, possibly to the benefit of Vance or Rubio. \u201cHe\u2019s a talented guy,\u201d Trump recently said when asked about another Cruz presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cruz\u2019s 2028 bid offers a second chance at victory<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2654467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26187515708237.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[11331,84961,44227,32090],"class_list":["post-2654466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-11331","tag-future-politics","tag-political-forecast","tag-ted-cruz"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26187515708237.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2654466"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2654470,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654466\/revisions\/2654470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2654467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2654466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2654466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2654466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}