EXCLUSIVE – Ted Cruz says GOP White House race is now a showdown between Trump and DeSantis: Republican says Florida Governor still has a chance to get the nomination with two months until Iowa – and teases a future run for president himself

Senator Ted Cruz hinted that he may run for president again in the future and said he should not take Governor Ron DeSantis out of the presidential race.

“When I ran in 2016, it was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. And we were incredibly close to winning,” he told DailyMail.com in an interview.

In 2016, the Texas Republican won the first Iowa caucus, a key hold for any presidential candidate hoping for a chance to win. He went on to win the second-most states and delegates behind former President Donald Trump.

Cruz, once a Trump antagonist, became a loyal ally of the former president in the Senate during his time in office.

The senator said he is staying out of the presidential fray during this go-around, adding that he speaks regularly with both Trump and DeSantis.

Although Trump is far ahead in the polls, Cruz predicted that the race is still up for grabs.

“I think it’s a two-man race between Trump and DeSantis. I think the conventional wisdom has been wrong at many stages of this race. I think there is still a real race going on and the primary voters will decide.”

‘I leave it to the voters. Whoever wins the nomination, I will enthusiastically support,” he added.

Cruz spoke to DailyMail.com on the evening of the release of his new book, ‘Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America’

But with two of his closest allies in the race, Cruz decided not to try for president this cycle.

“We’ll see what the future brings,” Cruz said. “But I can tell you that I am wholeheartedly committed to this fight to save our country. The battleground is the Senate.’

Cruz had toyed with the idea of ​​running in 2024 before Trump and DeSantis entered the race. The senator’s favorite campaign man in 2016, Jeff Roe of Axiom Strategies, is now running DeSantis’ campaign.

Cruz said the key to success in a Republican primary now is courting working-class voters.

“In almost every state, Trump was one and I was two among working-class voters, or I was one and he was two among working-class voters,” Cruz said.

On the Democratic side, Cruz again predicted that Michelle Obama would be asked to replace Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.

“If Biden were to drop out tomorrow, I think the top tier would be for the Democrats, it would be Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren and Gavin Newsom. I think Elizabeth Warren wins that.”

He called her the “id of the Democratic Party.”

Cruz, right, on the debate stage in 2016 with Donald Trump

“It’s where they are: she’s a cultural Marxist. That’s where the Democratic base is today.”

“That said, I don’t think Biden will drop out tomorrow. What I think is most likely is that the party will take control at the convention next summer.’

He said the Democratic Party cannot replace Harris with someone like California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

‘It is structurally impossible for them to replace an African American woman with a white man. I think their base would go crazy,” he said.

“Now I also think Democrats are terrified of Kamala being at the top of the ticket because they think she would lose and probably be right, which brings me to Michelle Obama. Michelle is the only person who can replace Kamala Harris without causing a fuss. And because she’s a former First Lady, Democrats don’t have to choose from among the top candidates. They just parachute someone in, probably starting at a higher level.”

“The only question I don’t know is, would she take it? She clearly didn’t run away alone. But it’s a different story to get the nomination three months before the general election.”