Wanted to end tonight on a lighter note. Halloween may be over but the fun is still here:
Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D) dressed up as Ted Cruz for Halloween, mocking the time the Republican lawmaker fled to Cancun, Mexico, during the state’s ice storm in 2021.
“I was thinking about the scariest Halloween costume and quickly found one: Senator who flees to Cancun,” Gutierrez wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Cruz famously fled Texas in February 2021 while the Lone Star State froze, causing statewide power outages that killed at least 200 people. After Cruz was caught heading to Cancun, he said in a statement at the time that he and his family had lost power and he was allowing his daughter to take “a trip with friends.”
He said, “Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon.”
But wait, there’s more:
Gutierrez also shared video with Chron that shows him walking through a neighborhood in his Cruz costume, sending young trick-or-treaters scattering.
According to Gutierrez, it didn't take much to create the handmade costume: "a pair of jeans, a loose polo, and the gray tennis shoes, so it all kind of came together," he said in an interview with Chron. "I don't know too many people that tuck in their polos other than Ted Cruz, but I did it."
Gutierrez also said to accentuate his stomach, he used a small pillow from his home. "If I had any advice for Ted, I would say he needs to cut down on the Bud Lights a bit. I know how much he likes to drink Bud Light," the state senator added in reference to Cruz's call to investigate the beer company for its recent brand partnership with transgender rights activist Dylan Mulvaney.
Gutierrez and Rep. Colin Allred (D. TX) have been the big high profile candidates on Team Blue so far. FYI, Democrats do see Cruz as vulnerable:
The campaign arm for Senate Democrats is increasing its investments in two states where it will look to go on offense in 2024: Texas and Florida.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) said in a Wednesday release that it will step up funding for communications and research staff in the states. The expansion, which was first reported by NBC News, will bring the DSCC’s investment in its “Republican accountability” program to 10 states.
The program is now investing “seven figures” in the states, which also include Arizona, Montana, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin. All of those eight states are ones with a Democratic incumbent up for reelection.
The investment comes as Democrats will try to unseat GOP Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rick Scott (Fla.), both of whom are up for reelection in 2024. The map of Senate seats up for election next year provides Republicans with more pickup opportunities than Democrats, but these two seats provide arguably the best chances for Democrats to pick up seats.
Health and Democracy are on the ballot and we need to get ready to turn Texas Blue. Click below to donate or get involved with either Gutierrez or Allred’s campaigns and with the Texas Democratic Party:
Roland Gutierrez
Colin Allred
Texas Democratic Party