Subject: DMN: Sen. Cornyn: Ted Cruz went to Washington to run for president
From: "Bennett, Eric" <[email-masked]>
To: Comm_D <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2016 08:17:34 -0700

Sen. Cornyn: Ted Cruz went to Washington to run for president<http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/sen-cornyn-ted-cruz-went-to-washington-to-run-for-president.html/>

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/04/sen-cornyn-ted-cruz-went-to-washington-to-run-for-president.html/

Katie Leslie

Sen. John Cornyn says fellow Texan Ted Cruz had a specific goal in mind when he was elected to the Senate: Running for president.

In an interview with KERA this week, Cornyn said that's why they have different political styles, despite having similar conservative goals. As the Senate's No. 2 leader, Cornyn falls in line with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to carry out broader party initiatives. Cruz, however, famously drew the ire of many Republicans when he helped instigate a government shutdown in order to try to block Obamacare.

"Clearly, he didn't come here to remain in the Senate. He came here to run for president," Cornyn said, according to the report. "...That perhaps explains the difference in tactics."

The comments are uncharacteristically blunt for the pragmatic three-term senator.

Cornyn rarely criticizes his Texas colleague, despite Cruz having called McConnell a liar - a breach of Senate etiquette - and lambasting establishment leaders as weak.

Cornyn told KERA the men have a "good working relationship" and that they agree on issues of "substance."

"My goal has always been to figure out, how we can advance the conservative cause, even incrementally at times," Cornyn said, according to KERA. "...He's taken a more immediate, shorter-term view of things."

Cornyn has yet to endorse a Republican candidate for president, saying repeatedly this cycle that he plans to support whoever emerges from the national convention this July as the nominee. This week, he again said that Cruz hasn't asked for his support, either.