Texas Sen. Ted Cruz accused what he described as communist and Islamist forces of staging a hostile takeover of the Democratic Party. He made the accusation in a video posted on X, targeting Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. His remarks drew criticism from those who argued that Republicans had undergone a hostile takeover instead.
“What’s happening right now is not normal,” Cruz declared, warning about the direction of the Democratic Party. He pointed to a resurfaced 2021 clip in which Mamdani referred to “the end goal of seizing the means of production.” Cruz linked the phrase to Karl Marx and argued that Mamdani meant exactly what he said. Mamdani has since said he is not a communist, and the phrase does not appear in his current political platform.
Turning to Michigan, Cruz targeted El-Sayed, whom he called the “Jihadist Leprechaun.” He also pointed to comments El-Sayed made in 2009 about feeling a personal religious “obligation” to follow Sharia law while discussing his decision to obtain a Sharia-compliant mortgage. Cruz has separately accused El-Sayed of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, allegations El-Sayed has repeatedly denied while saying he “absolutely” disavows the organization.
Cruz has also stepped up his attacks on El-Sayed as Michigan’s Senate election approaches. While campaigning for Republican Mike Rogers this week, Cruz again used the nickname and claimed El-Sayed could pose a national-security risk if elected and given access to classified intelligence. PolitiFact found no evidence that El-Sayed is or has been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Cruz has since taken the attack even further, claiming there is a “very real risk that Americans will die” if his allegations about El-Sayed supporting the Muslim Brotherhood are correct and the Democrat gains access to sensitive intelligence. He suggested El-Sayed could potentially tip off people targeted in national-security investigations.
Ted Cruz Faces Backlash Over Democratic Party Takeover Claims
The responses challenged Cruz’s political priorities, his language toward Democratic candidates, and the direction of his own party.
“It’s the hostile takeover of the GOP by corrupt authoritarians that matters Ted,” one commenter wrote. Another criticized his remarks about religion, stating, “Reducing political opponents to religious slurs and manufactured communist conspiracies is the work of a desperate fearmonger, not a serious public servant.”
Others questioned the senator’s political priorities. “We are witnessing constant fear mongering by maga republicans because they have absolutely zero solutions for anything,” one response stated. Another pointed to his attention to Michigan, writing, “You spend more time worrying about MI than your own constituents in TX.”
However, some responses supported Cruz’s concerns about the Democratic Party. “The old D party openly embraced & touted it all. The takeover was successful. Not a single D fought back,” one commenter argued.
Another defended the Republican Party’s position, writing, “The party opened the door, put out snacks, and asked Mamdani to please seize the means of production nicely. Trump and the GOP are the only firewall left.”
Cruz hasn’t backed away from his “hostile takeover” argument. Instead, his attacks on El-Sayed have intensified as Election Day approaches. With Cruz now campaigning for Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan and warning about what could happen if El-Sayed reaches the Senate, the fight has moved well beyond the original X post.
