Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, warned Republicans that the upcoming midterm elections could turn ugly, pointing to nine competitive Senate races where he believes Democrats could defeat GOP candidates and seize control of the chamber.
The Texas conservative delivered the warning Tuesday during a podcast appearance with former Trump White House press secretary Sean Spicer.
Cruz said he was deeply concerned about Republican prospects in North Carolina and Georgia before identifying seven additional states where the Senate contests remain extremely close.
“[With] the Senate, I’m really worried,” Cruz said. “North Carolina, the numbers are rough, Georgia the numbers are rough, but we have very competitive races in Maine, Iowa, Ohio, Alaska, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas.”
Cruz said all of those contests were separated by only a few percentage points and warned that Republicans could face a difficult election.
“I hope it’s not — but it could be a really rough election,” he said.
Democrats need to change four Senate seats to gain the advantage. Cruz said he was more worried about Democrats taking control of the Senate than winning the House, even though most polling and reporting have suggested the House is more likely to change hands.
Spicer agreed with Cruz’s assessment and pointed to the number of House seats Republicans already hold.
“The math, when you look at where the House is… we’ve got 212 [seats] in the bank,” Spicer said. “We only need 6 of 19 toss-ups.”
Cruz then turned to the Senate race in his home state, where Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in most polls.
The senator said he was especially concerned about Paxton’s net favorability rating, which he placed at negative 15.
“It turns out $200 million of attack ads, that leaves a mark,” Cruz said.
Cruz contrasted Paxton’s numbers with Talarico’s positive nine net favorability rating, prompting an alarmed reaction from Spicer.
“Oh my gosh!” the former White House press secretary exclaimed.
“That differential is a problem,” Cruz responded.
Cruz said the “good news” for Republicans was that Talarico is a “woke, left-wing zealot.” However, he argued that many Texas voters do not yet fully understand the Democrat’s political positions.
The Republican Party, Cruz said, must emphasize that message during the next two months if it wants to improve its chances in the Texas contest.
Cruz is not the only prominent Republican sounding the alarm over the midterms.
President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that Republicans could be “never, ever” able to win another presidential election if they lose the midterms. Trump said such an outcome would place the United States on a path toward “hell.”
The president also urged Texas voters to prevent Talarico from winning, deriding the Democrat as a “freako.”
The warnings from Trump and Cruz come as Republicans confront competitive races across the country and attempt to defend their Senate advantage.
While Cruz expressed hope that the election would not become a Republican disaster, he made clear that the close polling numbers have left him worried about the party’s prospects.
[READ MORE: Malliotakis Staffer Struck by Lightning on Staten Island, Shocking Moment Caught on Video]
