Is Ted Cruz Running in 2028? The Texas Senator Isn’t Exactly Hiding It
Ted Cruz doesn’t face Texas voters again until 2030, but that hasn’t stopped him from acting like a man with a much closer deadline in mind.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Cruz has made multiple trips to Iowa this year, gone deep on the podcast circuit, launched a book tour for his new title, Going Further: The Incomparable Clarence Thomas, and quietly asked Capitol Hill staffers whether they’d be interested in joining a 2028 campaign. He will cap it off today with an appearance on “The View” during the show’s season 30 premiere week.
Cruz has also started needling the man widely seen as the GOP’s front-runner: Vice President JD Vance. He’s criticized Vance’s role in a since-collapsed memorandum of understanding with Iran and taken swipes at Vance’s association with Tucker Carlson, while telling interviewers the party hasn’t “coalesced” around anyone for 2028 and needs a real debate about its direction.
The midterm wildcard. November’s midterms loom over all of this.
Vance is out fundraising and stumping for Republicans in competitive races right now — the traditional move for a would-be front-runner cementing loyalty within the party. A strong GOP midterm would likely reinforce Vance’s standing as Trump’s chosen successor; a bad night for Republicans could reopen exactly the kind of “what do we believe” argument Cruz is already trying to start.
Where’s the support? It’s thin so far.
Prediction markets put solid odds on Cruz eventually jumping in, but that’s a bet on ambition, not on him winning.
Vance holds clear advantages: the vice presidency, early polling leads, and — by Trump’s own account — the president’s favor (“we need to elect JD,” Trump reportedly told donors). Even some 2016 Cruz backers, like major donor Hal Lambert, say they’d back Vance if he runs. Trump-aligned strategist Steve Bannon was blunter, dismissing Cruz as a “neocon” holdover from a Republican Party era he considers dead.
The baggage. Cruz carries plenty from a national run: his bruising 2016 primary fight with Trump, his objection to certifying the 2020 election results, and the 2021 Cancun trip he took while Texans froze without power during a winter storm — an image opponents have never let go of. Whether any of that still moves primary voters in a Trump-defined party, or whether Cruz’s sharper ideological pitch on foreign policy and economics can cut through, is the real question hanging over his 2028 maneuvering.
Sources: Wall Street Journal (via Political Wire); Newsweek; The Hill; MSN; [your]NEWS; America News Nation; Yahoo News; Laughing Place; Fox News/WTVR
In a swift and unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Bastrop City Council moved to officially decommission its Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras, shutting down the controversial surveillance network just one week after ordering all 12 city cameras to be covered.
Under Resolution R-2026-134, council members voted to terminate or decline renewal of the city’s agreement with Flock Safety, citing growing privacy concerns regarding how the collected data could be accessed and used. To ensure strict oversight moving forward, the council also approved a measure requiring any future automated license plate reader technology to receive explicit City Council approval before deployment.
Texas Department of Public Safety officials say they have paused the installation of additional Flock license-plate reader cameras statewide after Governor Greg Abbott’s office said Texas agency funding cannot be used for the technology.
Facing thousands of monthly parking complaints, Austin transportation officials are eyeing license plate-reading cameras for faster enforcement—but a key city commission is hitting the brakes on a critical technology recommendation until officials clarify privacy rules and police oversight. (CBS Austin)
(Episode from September 8, 2026)
First responders have been tending to two serious accidents this morning.
A third accident this morning on Pecan and Vision Drive appeared to be less serious.
Central Texas continues to swelter under triple-digit temperatures. Several schools with Austin ISD have had to dismiss classes due to air conditioning issues.
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees will hold an/ Information Session at 6:00 pm Thursday, September 10.
Reporte Austin reported ICE activity Tuesday in a couple of locations, including in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 and 71.
Also early Tuesday…in the area of Cameron Road, 290 and 183. According to witnesses, one person driving a pickup was arrested. The vehicle was abandoned at the site.
Meanwhile, community members are rallying to support two employees of Cisco’s, an iconic East Austin restaurant, after both workers were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during an operation on Monday.
The unexpected arrests have shaken local patrons and staff at the historic eatery, prompting supporters to launch a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal defense fees and assist the workers’ families with living expenses during their detention.
Just hours after Tesla launched its commercial Cybercab robotaxi service in Austin, federal auto safety regulators stepped in to open a formal investigation into the steering-wheel-free vehicles.
The Red River Cultural District says there needs to be more attention on preservation and policies to support existing businesses in Austin after a slate of closures has impacted the district in recent months.
According to Team Price Real Estate, Central Texas’ housing market is showing early signs of a shift as autumn approaches.
Active residential listings across the Austin metro have held near 17,000 units, even as year-over-year pending contracts climbed more than 3% — a signal that buyer demand is picking up faster than new supply is arriving.
Median sold prices have leveled off in a broad range of $441,000 to $562,000, varying by municipality, painting a picture of a market that has found its footing after several turbulent years.
With inventory tightening and contract activity accelerating, real estate professionals say the region is entering mid-September on more balanced — and potentially more competitive — footing than it’s seen in some time.
A high-stakes debate over affordable housing is heading to the Austin City Council this Thursday.
Council members will decide whether developers can pay a fee to the city instead of building below-market apartments, a move that could fundamentally reshape transit-adjacent neighborhoods. The proposed rules would explicitly ban these cash-out options within a half-mile of Project Connect’s upcoming light-rail lines, forcing a tough vote on how best to spend the city’s housing dollars. (Austin Free Press)
Drivers and residents heading near Zilker Park can expect customary street and parking lot closures over the next two months as prep work begins for the 2026 Austin City Limits Music Festival. The city will roll out initial parking lot shutdowns starting Monday, September 14, with street traffic restrictions following closely behind on Monday, September 21.
WEATHER
TUESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Firefighters across Texas are battling four active wildfires, anchored by the massive Ross Fire in Palo Pinto and Jack counties, which has scorched more than 90,000 acres over the past two weeks as additional blazes burn in Sutton, Schleicher, and San Saba counties.
KURK FIRE
The Kurk Fire is at 1000 acres with 10% containment.
As Republicans gather at the American Airlines Center in Dallas for an unprecedented two-day midterm convention, the political spectacle highlights strategic shifts and internal party dynamics heading into November.
The event serves as a platform to rally the conservative base, showcase key candidates, and emphasize party priorities—including tax cuts, border security, and healthcare affordability—ahead of high-stakes midterms.
Who Is Attending?
The speaker lineup features top conservative figures, key administration officials, and high-profile state leaders:
- Keynote Figures: President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
- Texas Leaders: Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Senator Ted Cruz, Attorney General (and Senate nominee) Ken Paxton, and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
- National Figures & Cabinet Members: RNC Chair Joe Gruters, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Scott Bessent, Todd Blanche, Karoline Leavitt, and Donald Trump Jr.
Notable Absences
Despite the high-profile attendee list, the gathering is notable for who is missing. A significant portion of GOP lawmakers and candidates opted to skip the event. According to a survey by Politico, over 40 Republican members and candidates chose not to participate, opting instead to stay in their home districts to focus directly on localized campaigning rather than spending time at a nationalized rally in Dallas.
Strategic Push or Signs of Vulnerability?
Holding a nationalized midterm convention—a concept previously unused by a major party—is viewed by political analysts through two distinct lenses:
- Turnout Strategy: Proponents view the Dallas event as an aggressive push to nationalize the midterms, drive media coverage, and boost conservative voter turnout in battlegrounds across the country.
- Defensive Mobilization: Critics and political opponents argue that staging such a massive rally in Texas underscores genuine concerns over shifting state demographics and tight polling in key local races, such as the marquee Texas Senate contest.
For comprehensive coverage and analysis on the midterm campaign trail, updates and coverage can be monitored through the PBS NewsHour Midterm Coverage and reports from the Washington Examiner.
.
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, won the Democratic nomination for Texas Governor on March 3.
189 days later, the campaign for three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott is finally mentioning his opponent by name.
Texas is cracking down on data centers after community backlash swelled over how much resources they use. Some can consume as much water as a small city.
The industry’s rapid expansion has scrambled traditional political alliances and forced G.O.P. leaders to respond to a backlash from some of their most reliable rural voters. (New York Times)
A legal showdown over the 1,100-acre Marshall Springs solar farm and battery energy storage facility will soon resume in Fredericksburg. Gillespie County and developer AMPYR Energy USA remain at odds over bringing large-scale green energy infrastructure to the heart of the scenic Texas Hill Country. (Texas Public Radio)
Texas Comptroller Don Huffines is requesting $2.3 billion to continue the state’s current school voucher program, with more than 106,000 students on a waitlist.
A wave of reported AT&T cellular issues began in parts of Houston on Sunday.
DownDetector, a service tracking website and provider outages, recorded a major surge in user reports shortly after noon, peaking near 1:00 p.m. with almost 1,700 logged issues. This followed an earlier disruption Monday morning, which saw nearly 1,300 outage reports around 2:17 a.m. (Houston Chronicle)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 280 pounds of suspected methamphetamine during a recent inspection at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo.
Caldwell County officials noted the Labor Day holiday marked the end of what they call “River Operations Season” for 2026.
With only weeks to go before the midterms, President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to allow his administration’s plans to restrict voting by mail.
Nick Corasaniti, who covers national politics for The New York Times, walks us through Mr. Trump’s effort, the legal battle it touched off and the uncertainty it has created for local election officials and voters around the United States.
In this week’s episode, Matthew and Eleanor dig into the state’s recently approved social studies curriculum standards and the controversy over how Islam is discussed. Their guests are Texas Tribune education reporter Jaden Edison and Ayaan Moledina, a 17-year-old Round Rock student who testified at state meetings over the topic.
(Episode from September 8, 2026)
Disbanding Austin and San Antonio’s energy utilities—as proposed by Gov. Greg Abbott—would strip hundreds of millions in annual revenue from both city budgets. While critics warn of massive financial shortfalls, supporters insist the money belongs back in consumers’ pockets through lower electric bills. (Austin Current)
SPORTS
MLB: The Houston Astros maintain their two-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the American League West after both teams notched road wins Tuesday night.
Christian Walker, Cam Smith and Daulton Varsho homered and led the Houston Astros to a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. The Astros built a 5-0 lead, but closer Josh Hader had to get three outs with the tying run in scoring position in the ninth, including retiring Kyle Schwarber to end the game. (Associated Press via MSN)
Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford, and Danny Jansen each hit a home run, Cal Quantrill worked six strong innings, and the Texas Rangers got past the Seattle Mariners 10-5 on Tuesday night. (Associated Press via MSN)
ON THE SCHEDULE
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Houston Astros | 74 | 71 | .510 | — |
| Texas Rangers | 72 | 73 | .497 | 2.0 |
| Seattle Mariners | 67 | 78 | .462 | 7.0 |
| Athletics | 58 | 88 | .397 | 16.5 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 55 | 90 | .379 | 19.0 |
MLS: Austin FC will play its second home match in a five-day span when the Verde & Black host Colorado Rapids on tonight at Q2 Stadium. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT. (Austin FC)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium is set to transform into ground zero for college football Saturday night as the Texas Longhorns prepare to host the Ohio State Buckeyes in a heavyweight, prime-time showdown under the lights.
Coming off an emphatic week-one victory, Texas faces an early-season litmus test that carries massive national championship implications. With a raucous sellout crowd expected in Austin and a national broadcast audience locked in, the Longhorns are focused on sharpening execution, handling high-stakes pressure, and protecting home turf against one of the most formidable powers in the sport. Kickoff between Texas and Ohio State is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
The Texas Longhorns face a legacy-defining showdown as Steve Sarkisian seeks his first win against Ohio State in Austin. Can Sark shed the “can’t win the big one” label and silence the critics, or will another top-5 setback reignite doubts about Texas’ championship ceiling?
NFL: A long-awaited gridiron summer finally gives way to fall tonight as the 2026 NFL season officially kicks off, setting the stage for a high-stakes Opening Weekend across the league.
While the action begins tonight under the national spotlight (New England at Seattle), Lone Star State football fans won’t have to wait long for their turn in the sun. Both the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans will make their 2026 debuts this Sunday, taking the field to launch their respective campaigns for Texas supremacy and a spot in the postseason hunt.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
At Charlotte Plummer’s on Fulton Harbor, the seafood doesn’t travel far—it practically swims onto the grill.
The Daytripper visits the Rockport-Fulton institution, where restaurants have been feeding hungry Texans along the waterfront since around 1900. Owner Craig Griffin shows an original shellcrete wall made with oyster shells and explains what it takes to keep generations of customers coming back.
