U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced his intentions to seek a third term in two years on Saturday, per a report from The Texas Tribune.
The publication also reported that the 51-year-old Cruz hinted at the possibility of another go at the Republican presidential nomination.
Cruz, an attorney by profession, was first elected to the Senate as Texas’ junior senator in 2012.
Per the publication, the lawmaker made the announcement after an appearance at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting in Las Vegas.
"I'm running for reelection in the Senate. I'm focused on the battles in the United States Senate," Cruz said in the report.
Cruz had expressed dissatisfaction in the GOP’s performance in the most recent midterm elections though his party reclaimed the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Texas Tribune reported that Cruz is also keeping tabs on next month’s Georgia senatorial run-off election between Republican challenger and former National Football League (NFL) rusher Herschel Walker and Democratic incumbent Rev. Raphael Warnock.
According to the publication, Cruz was among the 10 Republicans who voted against tabbing Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) minority leader.
On the matter of McConnell leading the Republicans in the Senate, The Texas Tribune reported, Cruz had urged “a real debate.”
“The question that I posed to Mitch McConnell and our leadership was very simple: ‘Is there anything on which we are willing to fight?’” the senator said, per the report.
Newsweek reported that Cruz had been calling for an amendment that would limit senatorial terms to just two despite his announcement.
He was in his native Houston earlier this month as a participant in the Houston Astros’ World Series championship parade when an attendee allegedly threw a hard seltzer at him.
Houston Daily reported that the lawmaker, who was unhurt in the incident, expressed gratitude the assailant in question “had a noodle for an arm.”