Ted Cruz wins Texas GOP Senate primary against wave of challengers

Incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) handily won the Long Horn state's GOP Senate primary Tuesday over challengers Mary Miller, Stefano de Stefano, Bruce Jacobson and Geraldine Sam.

Hours before the nomination race was called, Cruz singled out likely Democratic nominee Beto O'Rourke, a congressman from El Paso, as being a "left-wing liberal," an apparent insult in his book. O'Rourke greatly out-raised Cruz, garnering $2.3 million to the incumbent's $803,000 in the first 45 days of 2018 alone.

"He is running like Bernie Sanders across the state," Cruz said of his Senate colleague from Vermont and fellow former presidential candidate.

The senator has kept a relatively low profile since his failed bid for the presidency, though joke conspiracy theories suggesting he is the Zodiac Killer persisted.