| | | | |  | | By Daniella Diaz and Ursula Perano | | Presented by |  | | | With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team
|  Ted Cruz's campaign launched a coalition called "Democrats for Cruz” last month casting him as an aisle-crossing dealmaker. | Getty Images | CRUZ TO THE CENTER Ted Cruz rose to prominence as a conservative firebrand, leading the charge to shut down the federal government over the Affordable Care Act as a freshman senator back in 2013. Now, ahead of what’s to likely be a close Senate race in Texas, he’s cutting a different, more moderate profile. His campaign launched a coalition called "Democrats for Cruz” last month casting him as an aisle-crossing dealmaker. His office has also been playing up his bipartisan work, including a push for a new interstate highway through Texas. And Wednesday, during a high-profile Commerce Committee hearing, Cruz endorsed using federal funds to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge even as hard-line conservatives in the House raise questions about such a commitment. But, make no mistake, Cruz’s turn to the center only goes so far. Despite the rebranding, Cruz rarely votes for major bipartisan legislation. In recent years, he has voted against:
He also appeared alongside conservative GOP Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) and others recently to rail against Democrats who are seeking to curtail the impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
When asked about his recent rhetorical shift — detailed in a Texas Tribune article this week — Cruz said, “the only thing that is changing is what reporters will write on.” “The press likes to write about the battles I've had” with Democratic presidents and congressional leaders, he said in a brief interview. “And when they support policies that are harmful to Texas, I'm proud to lead the fights against them. But throughout my tenure here, authoring and passing major legislation for Texas has been an enormous part of what I've been doing. The press just usually refuses to report on it.” He also slammed his Democratic opponent in November, Dallas-area Rep. Colin Allred, for not being more bipartisan himself. “He simply votes as he did his first four years in Congress — 100 percent with Nancy Pelosi, and simply following orders from Nancy Pelosi is not actually representing your district in Texas,” he said. That being said, it’s not surprising that Cruz would want to mellow out his image. He famously got a major scare in 2018 from then-Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who came within three points of unseating Cruz, and Democrats continue to invest in efforts to flip the Lone Star state blue. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the DSCC chair, said it’s Allred, not Cruz, who has a proven ability to court crossover voters: “He represents a district that leans Republican now and is able to win over independent voters in addition to Democrats.” Still, there is no indication that national groups on either side are ready to invest tens of millions of dollars in the race, signaling that it is truly competitive. “We’re keeping an eye on Texas, but Ted’s doing a great job,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Steve Daines. “Ted's gonna do what he needs to do to win.” — Daniella Diaz and Ursula Perano
| | | | A message from The Alzheimer’s Association: The dawning of a new era for Alzheimer’s treatment, care and support. Significant progress in Alzheimer’s and dementia research and the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Alzheimer’s treatments to slow progression at an early stage has given patients and caregivers hope. But as we enter this new era, we must remove barriers standing between those with dementia and the care they need. | | | GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, April 11, where we are counting down for the freakin’ weekend. MUSICAL CHAIRS ON APPROPRIATIONS Now that Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) has the House Appropriations gavel, some of his cardinals are getting new assignments. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), who previously chaired the Financial Services subcommittee, is now tasked with Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, which was Cole’s previous assignment. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) is moving over to Financial Services from Homeland Security, and Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) is stepping in to handle the Legislative Branch panel. Womack teased to reporters Thursday there could be more shuffles to come “Using the experience that we had, the bad experience we had in [fiscal 2024], I think under [Cole’s] leadership, we'll probably be able to avoid some of these delays, pressing leadership on getting us topline numbers and putting us on an aggressive path, which is a good thing,” Womack said Thursday. — Caitlin Emma and Daniella Diaz
| | | | GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE. | | | | | SENATE TRIES TO ADJOURN OVER MAYORKAS The Senate took an unusual vote on Thursday afternoon to go into recess — not adjourn — over the weekend, as conservative Republicans protest the expected effort by Democrats to short-circuit the Mayorkas impeachment trial. The effort to recess the chamber passed 48-40 with GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Rand Paul (Ky.) providing the lone Republican votes in favor. So, yes, a bunch of Republicans took the unusual position of voting against going into recess. Many of those same GOP senators immediately dashed out the doors of the chamber to make their flights, though. Some things never change. — Anthony Adragna
| | | | A message from The Alzheimer’s Association:   | | | EXCLUSIVE: GABE VASQUEZ’S CASH DASH First-term Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) raised over $830,000 last quarter and now has over $1.8 million in the bank, according to his campaign. It’s a new record for the first quarter of an election year in the 2nd Congressional District, one of the most competitive in the country, his campaign said. Vasquez is facing Republican Yvette Herrell, who is making a comeback bid after holding the seat in the 117th Congress. She hasn’t posted fundraising numbers for this quarter yet, but she reported over $780,000 cash on hand at the end of last year. — Nicholas Wu
| | Jesse Tyler of Modern Family fame was spotted in the Senate. Reps. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.) don't think toys are just child's play: They’re launching the Congressional Toy Caucus to support the toy industry. Hasbro Inc. is headquartered in Magaziner’s district, while Wittman’s district includes a major LEGO Group facility.
| | | | A message from The Alzheimer’s Association: How can we relieve the burden of Alzheimer's and dementia on individuals, caregivers, and the nation's health care system?
As progress continues in Alzheimer’s and dementia care and treatment, we must increase our focus on detection and diagnosis, expanding and improving access for people in rural and medically underserved areas, increasing research funding, and investing in our dementia infrastructure. This will accelerate innovation, leading to new, more accessible treatments and means of prevention for the nearly 7 million Americans living with the disease. It’s time to renew our nation’s commitment to fighting Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. Learn more. | | | QUICK LINKS Matt Gaetz is winning, from Elaine Godfrey at The Atlantic A congressman wanted to understand AI. So he went back to a college classroom to learn, from David Klepper at The Associated Press Dianne Feinstein made history. Now she could get honored with a post office? From Sarah D. Wire at the Los Angeles Times Senator Menendez and His Wife Will Be Tried Separately in Bribery Case, from Benjamin Weiser and Tracey Tully at The New York Times
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | TRANSITIONS If you have any transitions you’d like to see here, please send to insidecongress@politico.com. TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House is in session. The Senate is out. FRIDAY AROUND THE HILL 9:15 a.m. Rep. Mark Pocan and the co-chairs of the Equality Caucus will host a new conference to mark “A Day of (No) Silence" and introduce a “Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth" resolution. (House Triangle)
| | WEDNESDAY’S ANSWER: Kevin Diestelow was the first to correctly guess that Benjamin Harrison was the first president to use electricity in the White House. TODAY’S QUESTION, from Kevin: While visiting the United States in 1931, Winston Churchill was struck by a car and received a special doctor's note from his American physician. What did his doctor prescribe him? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening. | | | | Follow us | | | | |
