Ted Cruz is back in the news as a result of his role in derailing Republican-led attempts to address the border situation in Congress. Whatever the size of that role may have been, he was clearly involved, and it's been covered prominently in the media. A Senator being so visibly instrumental in the proceedings of the House was bound to rankle the members of the lower chamber, and would be viewed by insiders as Cruz, once again, violating the norms of Congress. While there are a lot of forces at play here, including the 2016 election, one thing is certain and worth keeping in mind: a big part of Cruz's freedom to annoy his peers in Washington comes from the security of his voting base at home here in Texas, among whom he remains very popular. Texas Republicans embrace of Cruz is nearly universal in a state where Democrats haven't won a statewide election in almost two decades. Below, a couple of views of Cruz's standing in Texas among Republicans - and a telling glimpse of those same Republicans' views on immigration and border security.
