Two Democrat Party precinct chairs are seeking to ban Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, from attending any live college sporting events in the Lone Star State, claiming the Republican is bad luck for any Houston-based team when he's in attendance.
Harris County Democrats Bill Kelly and Charles Kuffner floated a resolution on Tuesday that seeks to prevent "The Cruz Curse," as it's known for some Texas sports fans. The most recent example being the 2025 NCAA men's basketball championship game where the University of Houston Cougars blew a 12-point lead in the second half to lose to eventual winner Florida.
Cruz's attendance was duly noted by the Houston faithful. "That was one of the first things people pointed to after the game," Kelly said. "It's a problem. He needs to quit going to college games in Texas."
"The University of Houston and Texas Tech have a pretty good rivalry between the Cougs and the Red Raiders," Kelly, a Houston alum, told Chron. "We don't agree on much, but we all agree that the nine scariest words for any college fan are, 'I'm Ted Cruz, and I'm coming to your game.'"
Kelly, a UH alumni, noted that his proposal crosses political barriers and unites all UH fans. "Republicans, Democrats and independents — can all agree that when your college team is playing, Ted Cruz is the absolute last person you want to see." The pair also noted that the senator was in attendance when Texas lost to Washington at the 2024 Sugar Bowl and again when Texas Tech lost to Virginia in the 2019 men's basketball championship.
Reached for comment by the outlet, Cruz spokeswoman Macarena Martinez called the proposal "dishonest and partisan clickbait," adding, "Senator Cruz has been attending Texas sports games his entire life. When they win, he's there. When they lose, he's there. When Texas Democrats lose, he's almost always there."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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