U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz took a post-shutdown lap through his home state of Texas this week, appearing before crowds that overlooked the fact that the Republican who led the charge to kill money for President Barack Obama's health care law had failed.
Today, he'll be in Iowa, where Republicans have the first say in the presidential race -- and will view him much more skeptically.
In Iowa, and across the nation, Republicans are fighting an internal war pitting tea party members like Cruz against mainstream Republicans advocating a more pragmatic approach.
The two sides will be on display Friday when Cruz - a Republican agitator who hasn't ruled out running for president - gives the keynote address at the Iowa Republican Party's annual fall fundraiser.
Cruz visited Fort Worth earlier this week.
Cruz said during his North Texas visit: “I’ll tell you: Given the choice between being appreciated in Texas and reviled in Washington, D.C., or appreciated in Washington, D.C. and reviled in Texas, I’ll choose the former 100 out of 100 times.”
Read more about Cruz:
From KERA: Ted Cruz, Back In Texas, Calls Obamacare ‘An Epic Disaster’
From Politico: Ted Cruz In Iowa: 2016 Force Or Flavor Of The Month?
