Ted Cruz blames tight midterm polls on "left-wing transgender witches
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The gist
Texas senator Ted Cruz said "left-wing transgender witches" would turn out against Trump, explaining close midterm polling.
The remark drew backlash and comes as Cruz campaigns across states for Republican candidates.
Background
Ted Cruz is a Republican US senator for Texas since 2013 and a prominent conservative figure who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016; LGBTQ+ advocates have repeatedly criticized his policies and rhetoric on trans rights. He made the remark on Fox News while discussing why midterm polling is close, saying he counts eight to 10 Senate races tied or within the margin of error. The San Antonio Current said Cruz is expected to ramp up such rhetoric as he ramps up his expected run for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.
How it unfolded
- Oct 17, 2026On Fox News with Alaska senator Dan Sullivan, Cruz said there are "eight to 10 Senate races that are tied, or within the margin of error" and said "if you're a left-wing transgender witch, you hate Donald Trump, and you're going to show up."
- Oct 17, 2026Cruz rallied with Sullivan in Fairbanks, Alaska, at an equipment rental store on Van Horn Road, speaking about an hour for Sullivan's reelection campaign against Democrat Mary Peltola.
- Oct 18, 2026A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll showed Trump's approval at a record-low 33%, with 48% of voters saying they were financially worse off than when he returned for a second term.
- Oct 19, 2026PinkNews and Advocate reported Cruz drew backlash over the "left-wing transgender witches" remark.
- Oct 22, 2026Cruz announced he will introduce legislation requiring prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket to seek state approval to operate, to be introduced after the midterms.
- Oct 23, 2026Cruz rallied in Henry County, Georgia, with Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson and former Gov. Sonny Perdue, saying "This race for governor is basically tied."
- Oct 23, 2026President Trump signed the bipartisan Mystic Alerts Act into law; Cruz, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, advanced it through committee in September and it passed the Senate that month.
- Oct 24, 2026Ken Paxton was to visit New Braunfels with Cruz at Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que as part of Paxton's 18-day "Come and Take It" bus tour with more than 30 stops across Texas.
Who’s saying what
- Cruz
- Cruz said midterms usually energize the party out of power, and that "if regular, ordinary Americans show up to vote, Dan Sullivan's gonna be reelected here in Alaska, and we're gonna win Senate seats and House seats all over the country."
- Analysts
- The San Antonio Current wrote that Cruz blamed his party's potential midterm losses on "a broad caricature of Democratic voters" rather than voter anger over the White House's failed policies.
- Caution
- PinkNews and Advocate reported the remark drew backlash, noting Cruz has faced repeated criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates over policies and rhetoric seen as hostile to trans rights.
Still unverified
Cruz said the courts are split on whether the CFTC (the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission) can unilaterally allow prediction markets to offer sports events contracts; it is unclear whether other prediction functions, such as contracts on world events, would be affected by his legislation.