Chuck Schumer lost the Senate majority in 2024 and hasn't stopped crying about it since.
Now Ted Cruz is back in Iowa.
And Ted Cruz just revealed his plan to make Chuck Schumer shed more tears.
The Line That Brought Down the House
Cruz didn't waste words at Ashley Hinson's BBQ Bash in Clive.
"When Ashley wins, Chuck Schumer's going to cry," he told the crowd.
Then he twisted the knife.
"I love Make America Great Again – but I'd also love to see a hat that says Make Chuck Schumer Cry Again," he added.
The crowd went wild.
It was a mission statement.
Republicans took back the Senate in 2024 by flipping seat after seat in states Democrats thought were safe.
Schumer went from Majority Leader to an afterthought overnight.
Now he needs four Republican Senate seats to claw his way back to power.
Iowa is one of his best shots.
Why Iowa Is the Whole Ball Game
The Cook Political Report calls this race a toss-up.
That's not good news for a state Donald Trump carried by 13 points in 2024.
The RealClearPolitics average shows Hinson clinging to a one-point lead.
One point.
In Iowa.
Democrats have poured money into Josh Turek's campaign.
As of June, Turek's campaign held more than $2.3 million on hand – compared to roughly $30,000 for Hinson.
Barack Obama even flew in to shoot a basketball video with the guy.
That's how badly Schumer wants this seat.
Hinson isn't running scared.
She's reminding Iowans exactly what Republicans delivered in Washington.
"We cut taxes on tips, we cut taxes on overtime, we cut taxes on Social Security," she told the crowd. "We delivered real relief for small businesses and for family farms all across this state."
Then she went after Turek directly.
"Turek's campaign is nothing more than a Schumer production," she said. "Josh Turek is reading directly from the script that they gave him."
When Turek tells Iowa he's a moderate, Hinson has an answer: he showed up to vote just 42% of the time in the Iowa House while running his primary campaign.
"Any other job that you show up only 42% of the time, you're getting fired, you're not getting a promotion," she said.
Cruz Is Playing Two Games at Once
Ted Cruz doesn't just show up in Iowa to eat pulled pork.
He's been to the state three times this year.
He headlined the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition in May.
https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2093029137552154924?s=20
He was the keynote at Attorney General Brenna Bird's Barn Bash in July.
Now the BBQ Bash.
Cruz won the Iowa caucuses in 2016 and finished second to Trump in the primaries.
He told a podcast recently, "It's no secret that I want to be president."
Every trip to Iowa is resume-building.
But Cruz is also serious about November.
He met with pastors Saturday morning and delivered a warning that should alarm every Republican in America.
Conservative voters are furious the Senate hasn't passed Trump's SAVE America Act – the election integrity bill sitting in limbo.
"What worries me is voters who are pissed off that we haven't done the SAVE America Act will stay at home and instead of 53 Republicans we'll end up with 45," Cruz said.
That's not spin.
Republicans need their base fired up – not staying home to send a message.
What Schumer Is Actually Betting On
When Schumer lost the Senate majority in 2024, he went on Meet the Press and blamed voters.
They "didn't realize how much" Democrats had done for them, he explained.
That's the man who wants back in power.
https://twitter.com/hinsonashley/status/2091950851417895008?s=20
That's the man Josh Turek is working for.
The last Democrat Iowa sent to the Senate was Tom Harkin, in 2008.
Democrats are betting that polls showing a tight race can erase 18 years of Republican Senate dominance in a state Trump carried by 13 points.
Ashley Hinson played violin onstage – Jolene and 9 to 5 as a tribute to the late Dolly Parton – before Lee Greenwood closed the night with "God Bless the U.S.A." while 1,000 Iowans waved American flags.
Chuck Schumer watched none of it.
He's going to watch all of November.
Sources:
- Stephen Gruber-Miller, "Ted Cruz says to elect Ashley Hinson to 'Make Chuck Schumer Cry Again,'" Des Moines Register, August 31, 2026.
- "Fox News Poll: Close Senate contest brewing in Iowa," Fox News, July 1, 2026.
- "Rob Sand leads Zach Lahn for Iowa governor while Ashley Hinson leads Josh Turek for Senate: Poll," The Hill, August 27, 2026.
- "Vance and Ted Cruz head to Iowa for midterms and 2028 positioning," Fox News, May 1, 2026.
- "Sen. Ted Cruz eyes 2028 presidential run," The Washington Times, August 28, 2026.
- "Schumer says Dems must 'look in the mirror' after losing White House, Senate," Fox News, January 5, 2025.