Senator Ted Cruz won’t admit whether he’ll accept election results that show Joe Biden winning in November.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Cruz the question point-blank Wednesday night.
“You were the first senator to object to the votes. In 2024 will you certify the election results? Do you plan to object or will you accept the results regardless of who wins the election?” Collins asked.
Cruz immediately tried to dodge.
“So, Kaitlan, I gotta say, I think that’s actually a ridiculous question,” the Texas senator replied. The exchange then became a long back-and-forth, in which Cruz denied that the question was yes-or-no, and asked whether Collins had ever asked a Democrat that question. Collins mentioned how Trump refused to allow a peaceful transfer of power, and Cruz even glossed over the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, claiming, “We did have a peaceful transfer of power. I was there on January 20. I was there on the swearing-in.”
“Barely,” replied Collins.
Cruz still refused to commit to accepting the results, claiming that there could be voter fraud.
“Look, if the Democrats win, I will accept the result, but I’m not gonna ignore fraud,” Cruz said, again adding a giant caveat to his answer.
The segment ended with a pointed remark from Collins. “Senator Ted Cruz—no answer to that question. Thank you very much.”
Watch the entire exchange here:
My full exchange with Sen. Ted Cruz, who was the first senator to object in 2020, on whether he'll accept the election results in 2024: pic.twitter.com/nMuHv26Pzk
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 23, 2024
Cruz faces a tough reelection campaign against Democratic Representative Colin Allred, a former football player, but is probably worried about drawing the ire of Trump and the Republican base. Republicans are repeatedly dodging the question of accepting a Biden win in November, especially those who are in the running for vice president. Some Republican candidates have even alluded to supporting violence.
