Ted Cruz has asked Trump to stump for him in Texas

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is more than willing to put aside President Trump's jabs at his father and wife if it means it will help him come November.

On Monday night, Cruz said he asked Trump to assist him in his re-election efforts. "I would certainly welcome his support, and I hope to see him in Texas," Cruz told The Houston Chronicle. "I think we are likely to see the president down in Texas before the election." Cruz will face Democrat Beto O'Rourke in November, and a Quinnipiac poll released last Wednesday has 49 percent of registered voters supporting Cruz and 43 percent backing O'Rourke.

In recent weeks, Trump has been out campaigning for a variety of candidates, including Troy Balderson in Ohio and Rep. Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania. He doesn't have a past with them, though; when Cruz and Trump were running against each other in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Trump accused Cruz's father of being part of a plot to assassinate John F. Kennedy and shared an unflattering photo of his wife, Heidi, then threatened to "spill the beans" on her. Cruz now says his relationship with Trump has had its "ups and downs," and he often calls Trump up and offers to help him get legislation passed.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.