Senator Ted Cruz talks political issues and re-election bid

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- On Easter recess from D.C., Senator Ted Cruz wasn't on vacation.

He toured Atec Incorporated in Stafford, getting a look at a local aerospace engineering company. He went behind the scenes of their work and answered questions from their employees.

Cruz also sat down exclusively with Eyewitness News to talk about the issues of the day, which included newly sworn-in justice Neil Gorsuch.

He said the Senate was right to confirm Gorsuch despite the lack of a super majority and that the previous nominee under President Obama, Merrick Garland, never got a hearing.

"The majority in the Senate I think quite rightly said that we were not going to fill the vacancy in the middle of a presidential election, but rather we would let the people decide the direction for the court," said Cruz. "The voters in November had a clear choice. And on election the voters here in Texas and across the country made the decision to go with a principled originalist judge who'll be faithful to the constitution, faithful to the Bill of Rights, and protect our fundamental liberties."

He also discussed Syria, last week's strategic missile attack, and a path moving forward. Cruz said it's important President Donald Trump reveals those plans to Congress and the American people.

"Syria is a mess," he said. "I think it would be very dangerous if any actions we took in Syria resulted in toppling Assad and having those chemical weapons fall into the hands of ISIS, or Al-Qaeda, or Al Nusra, or other radical Islamic terrorists."

Lastly, there was his re-election campaign. Cruz has millions to spend and also a challenger. El Paso congressman Beto O'Rourke has already campaigned to be the democrat's nominee for the state's junior Senate seat.

Cruz said he is anxious to fight for another term.

"We're going to run hard every single day," he said. "That's the way I've approached this job since we launched this campaign nearly six years ago as an underdog candidate running for Senate and every day since then."

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