Anti-Ted Cruz PAC hits senator over Cancun trip in new ad

The Lose Cruz PAC, a super PAC dedicated to defeating Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) as he runs for reelection, rolled out its first attack ad against the senator Tuesday. 

The spot, titled “Find Your Beach,” hits Cruz over a trip he took to Cancún, Mexico, in 2021 as an extreme winter storm battered the Lone Star State and left millions without power. 

An actor, whose profile resembles Cruz, is shown sitting on the beach in the ad and listening on his phone to unfavorable coverage of his trip to the vacation destination two years ago.

The ad wraps with the actor throwing his phone into the water, with the caption “Make Ted’s Vacation Permanent.” 

The ad is set to air in Houston as a part of a digital campaign. 

“As millions of Texans suffered without power or heat, Ted Cruz wasn’t coordinating a response or serving his constituents—he was making plans to visit a five-star resort in Cancún,” said Sawyer Hackett, a senior adviser to the PAC, in a statement to The Hill.

“Cruz abandoned his state and left Texans to die while he sipped drinks on the beach in Mexico, and we won’t let him make a punchline out of it. With Congress heading home for the August recess, Lose Cruz is reminding voters that in their greatest time of need, their senator abandoned them.”

The PAC has lobbed a number of attacks at Cruz since launching last month with a seven-figure backing. Earlier this month, the group rolled out a video making fun of the senator’s recent criticism of the “Barbie” film.

“Introducing the Ted Cruz doll collection. That’s right. The senator more focused on Barbie than his own job now has his own line of toys inspired by his work,” begins the fake commercial, which was posted to Twitter by the group. 

A Democrat has not won a statewide race in Texas in 30 years, but Democrats are eager to oust the Republican senator in 2024. Cruz already faces two Democratic challengers — Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D). The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “likely Republican.”