Ted Cruz, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senator from Texas
As a Texan, it was my privilege and pleasure to cast my first voting booth ballot in five years for Ted Cruz for Republican candidate to replace retiring Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson in the U.S. Senate. Yesterday, Cruz won the nomination by an absolutely stunning margin. He likely will be the next U.S. Senator from Texas. Due to the nature of his victory, there will be many news stories and reports about Ted in the coming days. I will leave the political observations to others. I have a different story to tell.
I went to the return watching party last night. Polls closed at 7. When the early voting totals came in, there was optimistic talk of an early night. And so it was. About 8:30, I was in the room with Ted, his wife Heidi, and campaign VIP’s when one of the managers came in with his cell phone held high. He asked for silence and then announced that the AP had called the race for Cruz. As exuberant cheers filled the room, I looked to Cruz, who stood about 5 feet in front of me.
He kissed his wife. It wasn’t a peck or passionate lip lock. Sometimes, when your spouse has finished a long job or traveling schedule, when it is over you get a brief moment to acknowledge some peace and relief before things like excited children and life administration intervene. It was that kiss. When Ted Cruz found out that his 18 month journey for the U.S. Senate nomination had succeeded, his first reaction was to share that brief moment with his wife.
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