John Cornyn is the even-keeled insider. Ted Cruz is the brash, ambitious bomb-thrower.
The GOP takeover of the Senate last week puts the two Texas Republicans in a white-hot spotlight — and potentially a collision course.
As deputy majority leader, Cornyn’s main task will be to keep the party unified behind an agenda and strategy set by the incoming majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Cruz, by contrast, wouldn’t even pledge to support McConnell for the leadership post, before or after Tuesday night’s sweeping victory.
“Ted’s going to be a leader. He’s not just going to be an agitator,” said Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom coalition and a longtime Cruz friend. “But sometimes to become a leader, you’ve got to rattle the cage.”
The friction Cruz has caused in the Senate has been so overt, McConnell made light of it the day after the elections. Speaking in Louisville, Ky., he mentioned four people who’d called with congratulations. Apart from House Speaker John Boehner, it sounded like a list of adversaries, including a chastened president, a deposed majority leader, and an unruly backbencher.
“I got a call from the president. Also Senator [Harry] Reid, and the speaker, and Ted Cruz, too. I thought you’d be interested,” McConnell told reporters, drawing chuckles. “All of them have the view that we ought to see what areas of agreement there are and see if we can make some progress for the country.”
Cruz has made efforts in recent months to ingratiate himself with colleagues he irritated in the first 18 months of his tenure. He stumped for Senate nominees in key races in Iowa, Georgia and Kansas, all of whom won. He made a long trip last weekend to Alaska to stump for Republican Dan Sullivan....
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
