Pastor Rafael Cruz, the father of Sen. Ted Cruz, has thrown his support behind Dallas tea party leader Katrina Pierson in her bid to upset longtime Texas Rep. Pete Sessions in the Republican primary, according to the
Dallas Morning News.
"She's a strict constitutionalist. She's a strong conservative and she wants to do what's right," Cruz said at a Dallas fundraiser for Pierson on Monday.
Rafael's endorsement opens the door for his son to also step forward and support Pierson, who was a "super volunteer" for Ted Cruz's campaign for the Senate against Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.
But the senator has not yet backed anyone in the race — a point that was made abundantly clear by former Dallas County Republican Party chairman Jonathan Neerman, who maintains that Rafael's backing was no big deal.
"He's speaking for himself," said Neerman, a strong supporter of Sessions. "Ted Cruz has not endorsed in this race."
The freshman Texas
senator has previously declared that "he is not likely to get involved in any incumbent primary races."
At the fundraiser, political commentator Michelle Malkin said, "We have the means, more than ever, to defeat the incumbency protection racket."
Pierson had announced last year that she planned to challenge Sessions, the Rules Committee chairman, in the March primary.
"The people of my hometown deserve an elected leader who will fight for them — a leader who won't play the go along to get along, business-as-usual politics that have been hurting this country for so long,"
she said at the time.
Related Stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.