On December 22, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) made an appearance on The Truth Gazette, a news site operated by 15-year-old Brilyn Hollyhand. During the interview, Sen. Cruz said he would “absolutely, in a heartbeat” consider a run for President in 2024.

“I ran in 2016. It was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life,” Cruz said. “We had a very crowded field, seventeen candidates in the race, a very strong field. And I ended up placing second.”

Cruz was the runner-up for the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election, losing to former President Donald Trump.

Sen. Cruz stated his belief that finishing second in the 2016 primary meant he would enter the 2024 election “with an enormous base of support.”

“There’s a reason historically that the runner-up is almost always the next nominee,” Cruz added, “that’s been true going back to Nixon or Reagan or McCain or Romney that has played out repeatedly.”

He also pointed out that his 2016 campaign raised over $92 million. “That’s the most money any Republican has ever raised in the history of presidential elections,” Cruz said.

If Cruz does enter the race, he will face a tough primary. Former President Trump has not announced his official 2024 plans, but he has signaled that there is a possibility he will enter the race. During a recent interview with former European Parliament member Nigel Farage, Trump was asked if he would run for president again.

“If you love the country, you have no choice,” the former President answered.

If the former President does enter the race, he will be the heavy favorite to win, considering his solid base of loyal supporters that have continued to support him even out of office.

In the 2016 primary, Cruz and Trump developed a political feud and clashed on several occasions. The two threatened to sue each other for various reasons and made attacks on each other’s wives, citizenship status, and integrity.

Cruz refused to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention following his election loss. However, by September of 2016, Sen. Cruz reversed course and endorsed Trump for president.

Since then, Cruz has become one of the biggest supporters of the former president in Congress. He has supported Trump’s claims that Joe Biden fraudulently won the 2020 election.

Cruz’s last time on the ballot was in 2018 when he narrowly defeated former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) by 219,000 votes to win reelection to the U.S. Senate. The win gave Cruz a second term in the U.S. Senate, ending in 2025.