Ted Cruz stumps in Seminole to boost conservatives, predicts ‘red tsunami’ on Election Day

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GENEVA — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz drummed up support Friday night for two Central Florida congressional candidates ahead of what he predicted will be a “red tsunami” in the Sunshine State and across the nation on Election Day.

The Texas GOP senator stumped for Cory Mills and Scotty Moore at the Horsepower Ranch in Geneva in Florida’s redrawn 7th Congressional District with early votes being cast in the Nov. 8 election.

Cruz served up red meat to the conservative crowd, warning of dire consequences if Democrats keep control of Capitol Hill. He took shoots at President Joe Biden, joking he “wanders off stage until the Easter Bunny leads him back.” He quipped, “Inflation is so high Hunter Biden can’t afford crack cocaine.”

“We’re not just going to see a red wave,” Cruz said. “We are going to see a red tsunami.”

He praised Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying he is “doing a hell of a job here in Florida.”

Mills, a U.S. Army veteran, is favored to flip District 7, which includes Seminole County and parts of Volusia County. Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy opted not to run for reelection. Instead, Mills will face Karen Green, vice chair of the Florida Democratic Party.

Mills called for “defunding” 87,000 new IRS agents, cutting off U.S. aid to Ukraine and charging book publishers with “felonious” offenses and making them register as sex offenders if they “print with the intent to distribute inappropriate or pornographic material to a school library.” He voiced his support for Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which is known by critics as the “don’t say gay” law. He said it should go further and prohibit discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades kindergarten through 12 — not just grades kindergarten through three.

“I am one of those guys that don’t give a damn if they call me a xenophobe or they tell me because of my skin color I have some type of privilege,” Mills told the crowd.

Moore, a consultant who worked as a missionary, is a long-shot candidate, facing off against Democratic U.S. Rep. Darren Soto in the Osceola County-area 9th Congressional District that heavily favors Democrats.

Both Mills and Moore have aligned with Trump’s platform, denying that Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election.

A redistricting map pushed through the Florida Legislature by DeSantis has made Florida more favorable to Republicans. The GOP is forecast to possibly win as many as 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts in the midterms.

J. Antonio Reyes, a spokesman for the Seminole County Democratic Party, said Cruz is wanting to take Florida in the wrong direction and is incorrectly attributing inflation to Democrats.

“It’s a global issue, and they want to blame it on Biden,” he said.

Cruz, a possible 2024 GOP presidential contender, is on a 17-state, cross-country bus tour in support of about two dozen Republican candidates for governor, Senate and House.

Cruz’s visit came as speculation swirls over DeSantis’ presidential ambitions and a potential rivalry with Trump. The former president is planning to rally for Sen. Marco Rubio in Miami two days before Election Day, but DeSantis is not expected to be there.

Cruz, the runner-up for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, told the Washington Examiner he won’t decide on whether to mount another presidential campaign until he learns of Trump’s plans.

“The whole world will change depending on what Donald Trump decides,” Cruz told the Examiner in September. “That’s true for every candidate. That’s true of every potential candidate.”

sswisher@orlandosentinel.com

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