Meet the next Ted Cruz

POLITICO's Off Message

POLITICO

News, Daily News, Politics

4.5 • 637 Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2018

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When Chip Roy was a top staffer for Ted Cruz, he was an architect of the Texas senator’s strategy to shut down the government over Obamacare. Now, in all likelihood, he’s heading for Congress with a House seat of his own, and top Republicans worry he’s going to make Cruz look like a squishy moderate. Roy is ready to play hardball with GOP leaders in Congress. He has pledged to support House Freedom Caucus founding chairman Jim Jordan for speaker, and is expected to quickly establish himself as one of the House GOP’s most outspoken and combative members. As with so many conservatives, however, Roy is treading lightly when it comes to Donald Trump. Once a fierce critic—described by friends as a committed “Never Trump” advocate in 2016, when he was working in support of Cruz’s presidential campaign—the congressional hopeful now talks fondly of the president, praising his assault on “the swamp” and sharing his concern about a “deep state” acting as a shadow government. And while most Republicans campaigning for Congress this November are touting the accomplishments of President Trump and his GOP majorities: tax reform, regulatory relief and a soaring number of federal judicial appointments. In the deep-red 21st congressional district of Texas, Chip Roy is running on a different message: Republicans haven’t done nearly enough. “If there is a thousand miles to go, we’ve gone maybe 50 miles,” Roy tells POLITICO’S “Off Message” podcast. “So now, we’ve got to focus on the things that the people really want to see done. We’ve got to have healthcare freedom, we’ve got to balance the budget and we’ve got to secure the border.” POLITICO's "Off Message" podcast is hosted by Tim Alberta, produced by Zack Stanton and executive produced by Dave Shaw. Intro/outro music by Podington Bear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Off Message. I'm Tim Alberta. The job of Congress is one of the checks as the founders
0:06.0	gave us, right, to check the executive branch, no matter who's there. Whether it's free trade issues,
0:10.8	NAFTA, whatever it might be, my job in Congress will be to look at it and make sure it's in the
0:15.0	best interest of the people of Texas. But there is much to be done, right? If there was a thousand
0:19.4	miles to go, we've gone maybe 50 miles.
0:22.1	Hey, thanks for coming back. My debut edition was a learning experience. Frankly, this is
0:27.3	tougher than I thought it would be, but your feedback has been most appreciated. Jessica and
0:31.8	Maureen warned me to cut back on the sports banter. Ladies, I'll try my best. Please bear with me.
0:39.2	Alexander and Jason thought I should have interrupted Steve Scalise a little bit more, pressing him on things he said. You know, I probably should
0:43.8	have. Honestly, finding the right balance here between an interview and a conversation is tricky,
0:48.2	but we'll get there. And Vicki told me she hopes Scalise is the next Republican Speaker of the
0:53.1	House in another decade or so.
0:55.6	Something tells me Vicky is hoping for a hashtag blue wave.
0:59.2	If there is a blue wave, this week's guest is unlikely to be victimized.
1:03.3	His name is Chip Roy. He's the Republican nominee in Texas's 21st Congressional District,
1:08.3	a reliably red seat being vacated by incumbent Republican Lamar Smith.
1:12.6	Roy has been a power player behind the scenes in Texas for years.
1:16.0	Wherever there's been a conservative candidate or cause, it's a good bet he was involved.
1:21.2	Now he's striking out on his own, running for public office, and barring a stunning upset
1:26.4	coming to Congress following the midterm
1:28.3	elections. Roy is an uncompromising conservative. As chief of staff to Senator Ted Cruz, he was
1:34.8	instrumental in executing a government shutdown in the fight over Obamacare. He has been endorsed by the
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