The Lose Cruz super PAC has criticized Texas Senator Ted Cruz for vacationing in California in the days leading up to Hurricane Beryl’s landfall in the Lone Star State, but the senator was in Texas when the storm hit Monday morning.
Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 storm in Texas. As of Tuesday afternoon, 2.2 million Texans are still without power following the storm’s onslaught. Cruz faced criticism after he took a family trip to Cancún, Mexico, during a 2021 winter storm that left millions of Texans without power or access to food and water, with hundreds killed. Cruz returned to Texas and later described the vacation as a “mistake.”
Criticism and questions about Cruz’s whereabouts often resurface when severe weather hits Texas. Attention was drawn to his whale-watching vacation with his daughter over the Fourth of July.
“While Hurricane Beryl closed in on Texas, Greg Abbott was visiting South Korea and Ted Cruz was whale watching in Southern California. Texans deserve better,” the Lose Cruz PAC posted on X (formerly Twitter) with pictures of both politicians.
While Hurricane Beryl closed in on Texas, Greg Abbott was visiting South Korea and Ted Cruz was whale watching in Southern California.
Texans deserve better. pic.twitter.com/I2UfKKXoAK
— Lose Cruz (@LoseCruzPAC) July 8, 2024
The post, which stemmed from a photo Cruz posted from his trip with his daughter, has been viewed nearly 488,000 times. It has 20,000 likes and 7,400 retweets.
A spokesperson for Cruz’s office told Newsweek that the senator returned to Texas on Saturday, well before Beryl’s arrival. Since the storm hit, Cruz has shared several updates on his actions during Beryl.
“I’m currently at the Emergency Operation Center in Houston assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl,” he posted on X on Monday afternoon. “We are working with state and local leaders, along with FEMA and the appropriate federal agencies, to ensure Texans get the relief they need.”
I’m currently at the Emergency Operation Center in Houston assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl. We are working with state and local leaders, along with FEMA and the appropriate federal agencies, to ensure Texans get the relief they need. pic.twitter.com/uF5As9952F
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 8, 2024
Another post, made a few hours later, said Cruz was still at the Houston Emergency Operations Center “meeting with City leaders & first responders dealing with the aftermath of Beryl. Still a lot of flooded roads out there, so stay safe.”
Cruz also appeared at a Monday press conference with Houston Mayor John Whitmire and other local officials.
The Republican senator has posted dozens of times regarding the storm, such as reposting information from the Texas Department of Transportation or the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
U.S. Representative Colin Allred, a Democrat vying for Cruz’s Senate seat, shared several messages about hurricane safety before Beryl made landfall, as well as several posts after it hit, although not as many as Cruz.
Allred was in Washington, D.C., for House votes on Monday when the storm hit. Newsweek reached out to Allred’s campaign and his office by email for comment.
Amid his hurricane messages, Allred also shared a campaign advertisement against Cruz on Monday, when the storm made landfall.
“When it comes to the border, Ted Cruz is all hat, no cattle. Texans need a Senator who will take action,” Allred posted with the video, which is pinned to the top of his X page.
Since the advertisement, Allred also has posted several times about safety measures to take during the storm.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
The post Was Ted Cruz on Vacation During Hurricane Beryl? What Timeline Shows appeared first on Newsweek.
