Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is recruiting people to work on a potential 2028 presidential campaign, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Cruz recently signaled his intent for a second run at the White House by declaring "It's no secret I want to be president" on a podcast. But he added "time will tell" if he will throw his hat in the ring.
Politics: Member Of Government Says He Has A 'Hard Time Believing The Government Anymore'
The Journal put some more heft behind the Texas senator's possible bid, writing:
"Ted Cruz isn't hiding his presidential ambitions," the outlet wrote. "The Texas senator and firebrand conservative is already putting in the legwork in Iowa, hitting the podcast circuit and embarking on a book tour. He is also quietly asking people if they would be interested in working on his 2028 bid, according to people familiar with the requests."
Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost.
Cruz has emphasized that he and other Republicans have not conceded the nomination to Vance by any means, and the Journal noted that he has criticized the front-runner, Vice President JD Vance.
"JD negotiated the MOU with Iran. That was a terrible deal," Cruz said, per the Journal, in a dig at the memorandum of understanding that was intended to lead to peace in President Donald Trump's war against Iran. But renewed hostilities point to no foreseeable end to the conflict as the midterms approach.
Politics: Ted Cruz Coyly Responds To Questions About A 2028 Presidential Run
The senator has also been flattering Trump, who also took time out to compliment Cruz. "I would say that he's very talented; he's a very good friend of mine," Trump said. "I think he might do that. Yeah, he's a talented guy."
But Cruz and those potential campaign workers he's wooing will face a steep climb. He's not making much of a dent in a recent aggregation of polls by The New York Times.
Cruz ran for president in 2016 and made some headway behind the future President Donald Trump in the primaries.
Ted Cruz Makes Unexpected Confession About Trump's Relentless 'Lyin' Ted' Taunt
Ummm... Ted Cruz Has Something To Say About Trump's 'Balls'
Ted Cruz: 'It's No Secret That I Want To Be President'