The coalition assembled by Texas Senator Ted Cruz to support President Trump’s reelection has all but deflated, leaving the former president and his MAGA following without an influential ally in the nation’s capital after he lost the 2020 election.
The coalition, of which Cruz was to be the de facto leader, sought to bridge the gap between traditional conservatives and Trump’s MAGA base by uniting behind the President’s agenda. Cruz had hoped that by bringing together supporters of both stripes he would be able to help further Trump’s goals in Washington.
Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that his plans would not be so easy to achieve. The coalition quickly began to unravel as moderates saw the alliance as a form of loyalty to Trump’s more extreme positions and MAGA followers saw it as a power grab by Cruz.
While the coalition was meant to represent a broad range of views, its mission quickly became too mired in internal divisions to be effective. Not only was it hard to reconcile the different ideologies, but the personalities and egos involved made it even more difficult. Cruz may have thought he was assembling a unified front, but his own image and stature sullied the reputation of the coalition and gave it an air of political posturing instead of real action.
In the wake of the election and the onset of a new administration, the Cruz-formed coalition has been all but forgotten. Its founders have largely moved on from the idea, instead devoting their energies to their own individual interests and causes.
In the end, the failure of the Cruz coalition serves as a reminder to Americans that now more than ever, bipartisanship and cooperation are needed to get things done. Political divisions often pale in comparison to the common interests of the American people, and when politicians can put aside personal ambitions and work together, the country as a whole benefits. Even if Cruz’s coalition never achieved its original goal, its brief existence is a testament to the importance of finding common ground.
