CNN
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Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday refused to say whether he would unconditionally accept the results of the 2024 election, the latest in a series of comments by prominent Republican figures seeking to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the upcoming presidential election.
“I think that’s a really stupid question,” Cruz said when asked by CNN’s Kaitlyn Collins on “The Source” whether he would accept the results of the 2024 election no matter who wins.
“So you’re asking, ‘Do you promise to recognize the election as legitimate no matter what happens?’ Which is a ridiculous claim. We have an election law system where people challenge elections, election results are overturned, voter fraud is proven. It happens all the time,” Cruz said.
Cruz, who challenged Arizona’s election results on Jan. 6, 2021, later baselessly suggested in an interview with Collins that the 2020 election was riddled with fraud.
“So I ask you again: a free and fair election. Will you accept the outcome no matter who wins?” Collins asked.
“If the Democrats win, I will accept that outcome, but I’m not going to ignore fraud no matter what happens,” Cruz replied.
Many prominent Republicans have already cast doubt on the November outcome, including presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who said earlier this month that he would accept the results of the 2024 election “if everything is honest.” Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, two potential vice presidential candidates for Trump, have both said they would not have certified the 2020 election results if they were vice president, while Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has refused to say whether he would have certified the results if he were vice president.
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, whom Trump mentioned on Thursday as a possible running mate, said on CNN that night that he would “accept the outcome if it was done in a fair and transparent manner.” Carson also questioned the widespread use of mail-in voting on “Newsnight.”
Also on CNN Thursday night, Republican Rep. Byron Donald of Florida, who has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential running mate for Trump, was asked whether he would accept the election results if Trump lost. “If state and local governments actually followed the rules and procedures and you see everyone following the rules, then of course you would accept the results,” Donald told CNN’s Laura Coates.
Cruz on Wednesday defended conservative Justice Samuel Alito, who has been heavily criticized in recent years for prominently flying the flag at two of his homes, telling Collins that “this uproar has been overblown.”
“I think there’s a concerted effort by Senate Democrats to delegitimize and demonize the Supreme Court. We saw it in the case of Justice Clarence Thomas. We saw it in the case of Justice Sam Alito. This whole thing is a disgrace,” Cruz said.
Cruz repeated Alito’s explanation that his wife had put up the symbol of her displeasure in response to profane signs held up by neighbors, including one that read “F**k Trump” near a school bus stop and later one attacking his wife, Martha Ann Alito.
“Listen, there are some justices that I don’t agree with, but we should still treat everybody with civility and respect. Justice Alito said his wife was upset,” Cruz said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
