Ted Cruz Gives Critical Update on Rumors of a 2024 Presidential Run; Texas Republican Harkens Back to 2016’s Second-Place Finish to Donald Trump

Sen. Ted Cruz gave a crucial update regarding rumors he is planning to run again for president in 2024 to a young conservative publication entrepreneur this week.

When asked if he planned to run again for president, the Texas Republican responded with “absolutely” in an interview with The Truth Gazette.

“Absolutely, in a heartbeat. I ran in 2016 … very strong field and I ended up placing second” behind the eventual party nominee, former President Donald Trump.

The post included Cruz saying “there’s a reason historically that the runner-up is almost always the next nominee.”

The full interview with Cruz is scheduled for release on Friday, the publication announced via Twitter.

The Truth Gazette is led by 15-year-old conservative Brilyn Hollyhand, the young conservative who founded the media organization at the age of 11.

The Daily Wire adds:

Hollyhand’s impressive list of interview guests already includes, “Donald Trump Jr, Kayleigh McEnany, Sean Hannity, Ben Shapiro, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Ben Carson, Jesse Watters, Dave Rubin, Sean Spicer, Hogan Gidley, Mike Lindell, Jeanine Pirro, Stephanie Grisham, Charlie Kirk, Candace Owens, Diamond and Silk, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, and many more,” according to the organization’s website.

Cruz ranked second only to former President Donald Trump in the votes needed to serve as the Republican presidential candidate in 2016. He outlasted a wide range of early entries in the crowded field, ultimately conceding to Trump after losing the primary vote in Indiana.

The Texas senator also won the Iowa caucuses in February 2016 with 28% of the GOP vote.

Cruz also continues to remain fairly popular among conservatives since 2016, appearing on several 2024 presidential polls.

READ MORE: Poll: Two-Thirds of GOP Voters Want Trump to Run Again in 2024

“Early poll leaders have included former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — though DeSantis has said he is focusing on his 2022 reelection as governor,” The Daily Wire noted.

In October, a survey from Quinnipiac University found that the vast majority of Republican voters want Trump to run for president again in 2024.

“A full 78% of adults identifying with the GOP said they’d like to see Trump as their nominee in 2024, while 16% opposed him,” Newsmax reported.

The survey found that Trump’s fortunes are rising; in May, the same survey showed that only 66% wanted him to toss his hat into the ring again versus 30% who opposed another run.

But, as Newsmax noted further:

More than half (58%) said they don’t want to see him run again, compared with 35% who do.

Ninety-four percent of Democrats don’t want Trump to run again, while 4% say they do. Independents have the same figures as the overall population: 58% for/35% against.

Meanwhile, most respondents appeared to have no confidence in Joe Biden as president.

“A slight majority, 52%, say the country is in worse shape today than a year ago; 41% disagree,” Newsmax reported, though the president’s negatives are 11 points higher than his positives.