Ted Cruz announces he’s backing Rick Scott in Senate leadership vote, snubbing John Cornyn

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz arrives at the Trump Rally at Million Air in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 25, 2024. (Photo by Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz plans to vote for fellow right-wing firebrand Sen. Rick Scott of Florida over his fellow Texan Sen. John Cornyn to be the next Senate majority leader.

"This morning, I'll be voting for Rick Scott for GOP Leader, as I did two years ago. In 2022, I helped lead the charge for Rick against McConnell & I'm proud to stand with him again," Cruz posted on social media . "For 12 yrs, I've been unequivocal that we need to change GOP Leadership—and now we finally will."

Cruz made the announcement less than an hour before Republican senators were scheduled to vote for their next leader to replace longtime GOP Leader Mitch McConnell. Cornyn, a longtime ally of McConnell serving as his whip from 2013 to 2019, has long signaled his desire to become the next leader. He is running against Scott, who previously served as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the current Republican whip, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, another McConnell acolyte.

The election will go to a runoff if no one secures a majority in the first round of voting. It is possible for senators to switch their votes between rounds. The vote will be conducted by secret ballot among senators-elect and sitting senators who will serve in the next Congress.

Cruz has long beefed with McConnell, lamenting his strict control over the upper chamber and his aversion to Cruz's more bombastic tactics. Cruz has also expressed frustration with McConnell's unwillingness to back more right-wing candidates in Republican primaries and for refusing to invest in his expensive reelection campaign this year against Democrat Colin Allred.

Cruz blamed McConnell for Republicans not taking control of the Senate in 2022. That year, Scott challenged McConnell for leader, posing the first ever real challenge to McConnell's leadership. Cruz voted for Scott at the time.

McConnell announced earlier this year that he would not seek another term leading the party, ending his 17-year tenure. He is the longest serving party leader in the history of the U.S. Senate. The opening led to the first competitive, open campaign for GOP leader in decades (in the past, senators made it clear who would win the majority of votes before the election).

Cornyn has courted his peers citing his decades fundraising for his fellow Republicans, including raising nearly $33 million for Republican candidates and incumbents this election cycle. He campaigned with Cruz and gave him more than $500,000 in what was ultimately one of the most expensive Senate races in Texas history.

Complicated relationship Cruz and Cornyn have had a complicated relationship, owing to their contrasting styles and generations within the Republican Party.

Cornyn is a diplomatic veteran of the Senate, serving since 2002 after years transforming the Texas judiciary for Republicans. He was an associate justice of the Texas Supreme Court and later Texas attorney general, the first Republican elected to the post since reconstruction.

Cruz meanwhile never held elected office before running for the Senate, riding a Tea Party wave in 2012 to Congress. He is known for his theatrics and willingness to criticize his own party for not advancing hardline conservative candidates and policies. He made a national name for himself filibustering for 21 hours to prevent government funding for the Affordable Care Act — a platform he used to launch a close presidential run in 2016. He was a fierce defender of former President Donald Trump, objecting to certifying the 2020 election results.

Despite their differences, the two senators developed a strong working partnership, passing legislation and advancing conservative judicial appointments on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The two senators also campaigned for each other, with Cornyn stumping for and donating handsomely to Cruz in 2018 and 2024, and Cruz rallying the right wing for Cornyn in 2020.

This story first appeared in the Texas Tribune, a partner of the nonprofit States Newsroom, which includes the Florida Phoenix.