US Chamber of Commerce endorses Cruz over rival, whom it endorsed twice previously

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has landed another large endorsement in his reelection bid for his third term in the Senate, this time from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The nonpartisan pro-business group endorsed Cruz after twice endorsing his opponent, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, when he ran for Congress.

The chamber joins numerous others, including key Democrats, who endorsed Cruz over Allred, citing high crime and the border crisis they argue the Biden-Harris administration created, The Center Square reported.

The chamber’s endorsement of Cruz prioritizes his pro-business stance and commitment to job creation, tax cuts and expanding economic opportunity, Neil Bradley, the Chamber’s Executive Vice President, said at an event at Doggett/John Deere in Houston Tuesday night.

Bradley joined Cruz, meeting with business leaders Tuesday at events in Carrollton, San Antonio and Houston.

"As a leader in the U.S. Senate, Ted Cruz has been a champion for pro-growth policies that help Texas businesses, individuals, and families achieve their American dream," Bradley said. "Senator Cruz has a proven track record of support for policies that cut taxes, fight regulatory overreach, boost domestic energy production, modernize infrastructure, and promote trade, while protecting American jobs."

When asked why the Chamber switched from endorsing Allred to Cruz, he told The Center Square, the chamber “is not a partisan organization. We evaluate candidates based on whether we think they are the best candidate in the race to support job creators, entrepreneurs and a growing economy. Of course, every race is different. We have 435 congressional races. We endorsed Mr. Allred in two of those reelection races but we only have 100 Senate races.”

The Texas Senate race, he said, “is a very different race … and a choice that for us, is pretty clear cut and simple. Sen. Cruz has a proven track record when it comes to supporting job creators, when it comes to delivering on business issues, when it comes to having an open door to hear about the concerns of local small businesses. And then he gets results. So we're confident that he's going to carry that forward another six years.”

The chamber endorsed federal candidates “who will stand up for free enterprise, including by vigorously advocating for public policy solutions that will spur economic growth, support jobs, and promote businesses of all sizes’ ability to continue to innovate and invest in America,” it said in a separate statement.

Endorsing Cruz and others who support economic growth is important, the chamber argues, “to avoid the largest tax increase in American history,” when the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Cruz voted for, is expected to expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts.

Allred has said that if he were in Congress at the time, he would have voted against the bill just as Vice President Kamala Harris did when she was in the U.S. Senate. Allred has endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Harris, who has vowed to increase taxes on businesses, implement price controls, and allow the 2017 tax cuts to expire if elected. Cruz argues Harris and Allred policies would be disastrous for America, worsen the economy and kill jobs.

In a recent report, the chamber highlights how pro-economic growth tax policy increases wages and improves the economy. “Tax policy should be designed to minimize the negative impact on economic growth,” it says. “Pro-growth tax policy doesn’t just grow the overall U.S. economy; it raises wages for American workers and improves standards of living. Maintaining and improving pro-growth tax policy also ensures that the U.S. is globally competitive, retaining and attracting businesses, jobs, investment, and innovation here at home.”