Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned that some moderate Democrats’ recent criticism of socialist and fringe policies may be an attempt to sway the coming runoff elections in Georgia.
Cruz made note of Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) recent assertions that he won’t vote in favor of ending the filibuster and packing the Supreme Court, which are provisions favored by the far-left wing of the Democratic Party. The House will likely be controlled by Democrats by a slim margin.
But he said that Manchin “when he went on Fox yesterday, was campaigning for the Democrats in Georgia” when he made the promise.
“Fifty-fifty means there’s a tie. But if one senator does not vote on the Democratic side, there is no tie, and there is no bill,” Manchin told the Hugh Hewitt show on Tuesday. “So I commit to you tonight, and I commit to all of your viewers and everyone else that’s watching. I want to allay those fears, I want to rest those fears for you right now because when they talk about whether it be packing the courts, or ending the filibuster, I will not vote to do that,” Manchin added. “I will not vote to pack the courts, I think, and I will not vote to end the filibuster.”
It came as Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) won his race in North Carolina after Democrat Cal Cunningham conceded in the wake of revelations about Cunningham’s extramarital affairs. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) also appears to be heading to victory.
Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and Dan Perdue (R-Ga.) are both heading to runoffs in races with Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively, in January.
Cruz warned that Manchin doesn’t have the power to overcome Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Senate minority leader.
“I serve with Joe. I like him. He’s a perfectly nice guy. None of the Democrats have the strength to stand up to Chuck Schumer,” Cruz said, adding: “It is one, single, stated collective, and if they get a majority, they will use their power. It’s why Georgia matters so much.”
