Chad’s Morning Brief: Ted Cruz and the Midterms, Obamacare Site Hiding Cost, and Other Top Stories

Ted Cruz might be one the biggest names on the political stage right now but The Hill points out that many Republicans are staying away from the Texas Senator in this election cycle.

Republican candidates are not trotting out Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the midterm election campaign, despite his status as one of the party’s rising stars.

While Cruz is a hero to many conservatives, some candidates are leery of appearing with him because he is a polarizing figure who could turn off independents and centrist Republicans.

Two of Cruz’s potential rivals for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), are in higher demand, traveling widely to the battleground states that could determine control of the Senate in November.
Political strategists say the disparity illustrates how Paul and Rubio can appeal to a broader swath of the electorate, which is crucial in a general election.

“It’s almost exactly a year ago to the day when [Cruz] led to the government shutdown. That appealed to a narrow and narrowing wing of the Republican Party,” said Rich Galen, a Republican strategist. “For a lot of people, that was over the top, and they’re not comfortable with him.”

Cruz did appear last week at a rally for embattled Sen. Pat Roberts (R) in Kansas, where he urged Tea Party voters to put a divisive primary behind them and unify behind the three-term incumbent. He received a rousing reception in Wichita, helping win over conservatives who supported Milton Wolf, the Tea Party candidate, against Roberts.

But outside of Kansas, Cruz has made few appearances on the stump this year.

He appeared at events in North Carolina in mid-September, for example, but notably did not appear in public with Republican candidate Thom Tillis, who’s locked in a neck-and-neck race with Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan (N.C.). Paul campaigned with Tillis earlier this month.

The media has made Cruz into a much more polarizing person than he really is. I don't blame some candidates for wanting to keep their distance, but they should know that not many are better at rallying the grassroots and base than Cruz.

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