Ted Cruz will defend his Senate seat in 2018, the Texas Republican said Wednesday. In 2012, Cruz defeated Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a shocking primary upset, eventually riding the Tea Party wave to office. Cruz ran for this year's Republican presidential nomination until he suspended his campaign earlier this month after a disappointing showing in the Indiana primary, effectively conceding the race to Donald Trump.
Cruz's fellow 2016 contender, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, will be up for re-election this fall. Paul was simultaneously running a presidential campaign — which he suspended in February — while maintaining his right to defend his Senate seat, the logistics of which forced Kentucky to hold a caucus instead of a primary to abide by state laws prohibiting Paul's name from appearing on the same ballot twice. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who like Cruz and Paul vied for the GOP nomination before dropping out in March, decided not to run for re-election for his Senate job and will leave political office in January 2017.
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