Sen. Ted Cruz is openly defying President Donald Trump in two marquee Republican primaries, a move that doubles as an early test of whether the Texas Republican can carve out room for himself in a party Trump has dominated for a decade, new reporting suggests.
According to Axios, Cruz this week threw his support behind candidates running directly against Trump's picks in a pair of governor's races. He endorsed Rick Jackson, a wealthy health care executive challenging Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia's June 16 runoff, and Alan Wilson, South Carolina's attorney general, who is up against Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a June 23 runoff.
What makes the break notable is how alone Cruz is in making it. Axios reported that he appears to be the only potential 2028 GOP contender willing to publicly side against Trump in either contest, a sign of just how wary other ambitious Republicans remain of crossing the president.
The White House did not let it slide. A source close to the administration dismissed the maneuver to Axios, calling it a "curious way" for Cruz to advance a 2028 bid. A representative for Cruz did not respond to the outlet's request for comment.
The gamble strikes at something Trump prizes: his reputation as the Republican Party's kingmaker. Trump has long treated primary endorsements as a scoreboard for his influence, and the numbers have mostly cooperated. Axios noted that Trump-backed candidates have won every federal or statewide primary this cycle except one, when Rep. Randy Feenstra lost Iowa's GOP gubernatorial primary. By backing the rivals to two of Trump's choices, Cruz is wagering that the president's grip can be loosened.
There's real risk in it, Axios reports. If Jones and Evette win their runoffs, Cruz could draw Trump's anger and complicate his own path in 2028.
The endorsements are only the latest sign Cruz is laying groundwork for a presidential run. Axios reported that he privately warned donors last year that Trump's tariffs would hurt the economy and could cost Republicans control of Congress. In those same conversations, he reportedly trashed Vice President JD Vance, a likely 2028 rival, accusing him of pushing a misguided anti-interventionist foreign policy. Cruz has also repeatedly gone after podcaster and Vance ally Tucker Carlson, charging him with promoting antisemitism.