‘A Watergate-level repudiation’: Ted Cruz weighs in on midterm wave
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he called his new colleague, Democratic Sen.-elect James Talarico, to congratulate him on his victory.Valerie Plesch / Bloomberg via GettyShareAdd NBC News to GoogleNov. 4, 2026, 10:21 PM ESTBy Kyla Guilfoil and Frank Thorp VSen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Wednesday described the historic Democratic sweep in the midterm elections as an “ass-kicking” for Republicans, urging the party to deliver on economic promises in the next cycle.
“It was not simply a bad 2006 midterm election, it was a Watergate-level repudiation,” Cruz said on an episode of his podcast, describing the Democratic shift across the country as a “blue tsunami.”
Cruz, who is not up for re-election until 2030, said that “understandably, people were pissed off,” as “Republicans didn’t do enough to address their very real pain.”
He pointed to tariffs’ raising costs and the Iran war’s dragging on for “too long,” adding, “Food is too high, gas is too high, diesel is too high, insurance is too high, life is too high.”
“Too many Republican politicians seem like they didn’t understand or they didn’t care,” he said.
NBC News exit polls found that more than 80% of voters said they were worried about the prices of necessities: gas and diesel fuel, food and groceries, utilities and healthcare.
“We need to listen and respond. We need to champion economic policies that make a real difference in working people’s lives, and we need to deal with the consequences,” Cruz said.
Cruz said he did call his new colleague, Democratic Sen.-elect James Talarico, to congratulate him on his victory.
“I will work with Democrats when they’re willing to be reasonable,” he said. “It was a pleasant conversation, and I told him that I looked forward to working with him to try to benefit Texas.”
However, he also said, “Texas will be red again.”
FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over GOP education agenda fueled blue sweeps in Texas, advocates sayFOR SUBSCRIBERSInside the miscalculations that cost Trump control of CongressFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat Democrats plan to do with House majority: Investigate Trump and tackle affordabilityFOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump discussing possible Hegseth replacements, sources say FOR SUBSCRIBERSMaps: How the vote shifted from the 2024 presidential election to 2026FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe dynamics behind the Democrats’ midterms drubbing of RepublicansFOR SUBSCRIBERSTexas election upset means ‘MAGA’s own private law firm’ will be led by a DemocratFOR SUBSCRIBERSElon Musk moved to Texas to escape Democrats — now they’re in chargeFOR SUBSCRIBERSVance tiptoes out on his own after a midterm wipeoutFOR SUBSCRIBERSData centers rejected by voters across the country — challenging the AI boomFOR SUBSCRIBERSRepublicans bet the House on redistricting, but Democrats swept through the seats they targetedFOR SUBSCRIBERSDemocratic Senate set to thwart Trump’s Supreme Court and judicial appointmentsFOR SUBSCRIBERSIran says Americans rejected Trump’s war as the world reacts to the midterms rout FOR SUBSCRIBERSVoters rejected Trump’s ‘booming’ economy narrative and the AI that underpins it FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘No one is going to outwork Hakeem’: Jeffries’ rise to the cusp of history has been rapidSlide 1 of 1For SubscribersFOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over GOP education agenda fueled blue sweeps in Texas, advocates sayFOR SUBSCRIBERSInside the miscalculations that cost Trump control of CongressFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat Democrats plan to do with House majority: Investigate Trump and tackle affordabilityFOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump discussing possible Hegseth replacements, sources say FOR SUBSCRIBERSMaps: How the vote shifted from the 2024 presidential election to 2026FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe dynamics behind the Democrats’ midterms drubbing of RepublicansFOR SUBSCRIBERSTexas election upset means ‘MAGA’s own private law firm’ will be led by a DemocratFOR SUBSCRIBERSElon Musk moved to Texas to escape Democrats — now they’re in chargeFOR SUBSCRIBERSVance tiptoes out on his own after a midterm wipeoutFOR SUBSCRIBERSData centers rejected by voters across the country — challenging the AI boomFOR SUBSCRIBERSRepublicans bet the House on redistricting, but Democrats swept through the seats they targetedFOR SUBSCRIBERSDemocratic Senate set to thwart Trump’s Supreme Court and judicial appointmentsFOR SUBSCRIBERSIran says Americans rejected Trump’s war as the world reacts to the midterms rout FOR SUBSCRIBERSVoters rejected Trump’s ‘booming’ economy narrative and the AI that underpins it FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘No one is going to outwork Hakeem’: Jeffries’ rise to the cusp of history has been rapidSlide 1 of 1“We have not suddenly become a bunch of tofu-eating, gun-banning, tutu-wearing pinko commie liberals. That ain’t us. Texas is still Texas,” Cruz said. “We will rebuild as a true blue-collar party not by embracing socialism, but by being real free-market conservatives.”
In his own analysis of the elections, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who lost the GOP Senate primary in May to state Attorney General Ken Paxton, also acknowledged Republicans’ shortcomings on the economy.
In 2024, voters “trusted Mr. Trump and the Republicans over Kamala Harris and the Democrats to protect their pocketbooks,” Cornyn wrote in an op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal.
However, Cornyn also argued that the party “forgot” how to win elections and instead favored “performative politics.”
“When Republicans force voters to choose between policy and personal character, it is unfair to them and suicidal for us,” he wrote. “We know what the American people want because they showed us: a big-tent Republican Party, competent, focused on Americans’ daily concerns, with room for traditional conservatives and MAGA supporters alike.”
Cornyn wrote that “anyone who is willing to turn the page, restore integrity and rebuild our party can count me in.”
Democrats prevailed across the state Tuesday, with Talarico ending 38 years of GOP dominance over the Senate seat and Gina Hinojosa making history as Texas’ first Latina governor and the first Democratic governor in over three decades.
Kyla GuilfoilKyla Guilfoil is a breaking news reporter on the politics team for NBC News Digital.
Frank Thorp VFrank Thorp V is a coordinating producer and off-air reporter covering Congress for NBC News, managing coverage of the Senate.
