Sen. Cruz admits he made ‘a mistake’ by flying to sunny Cancun as Texas shivered in the dark

What happens in Cancun stays in Cancun — unless you’re a U.S. senator.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz admitted Thursday that he “obviously made a mistake” by flying off with his family to the popular Mexican tourist destination while his home state remained paralyzed by a catastrophic winter storm that has knocked out power and water for millions of residents.

Cruz, who left for Cancun on Wednesday with his family, told reporters after landing back in Texas on Thursday evening that he went to the Mexican beach paradise because his two daughters had been “cold for two days” and were begging to “get out” of their home in Houston’s ritzy River Oaks neighborhood.

“It was obviously a mistake. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done it. I was trying to be a dad,” said Cruz, one of the most conservative Republicans in Congress. “I think there are a lot of parents that’d be like, ‘If I can do this, great!’ That’s what I wanted to do.”

He claimed he started “second-guessing” the last-minute trip as soon as his family took off from an airport in Houston.

“It had been my intention to be able to work, remotely, to be on the phone, to be on the internet, to be on Zoom, to be engaged, but I needed to be here and that’s why I came back,” said Cruz, who had reportedly initially planned on staying at the oceanfront Ritz-Carlton in Cancun until Sunday.

Cruz’s return to Texas came after intense backlash.

A now-viral photo of him boarding a plane to Cancun emerged late Wednesday, as more than three million homes and businesses in Texas remained without power and drinking water after winter storms crippled the state’s power grid and blanketed the Lone Star State in snow. At least 47 people have died in the storm.

“So many elected leaders in Texas have failed their constituents,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a frequent target of Republican criticism because of her push for the U.S. to transition to renewable energy. “Instead of focusing on relief, they’ve chosen to go on Fox News to spread lies or to board a plane to Cancun.”

The Biden White House, usually hard-pressed to engage in partisan bickering, piled on.

“Many people across the state are without power, without the resources they need, and we expect that would be the focus of anyone in the state who was elected to represent them,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in response to a question about Cruz.

People wait in line to fill propane tanks on Wednesday, Feb. 17, in Houston, Tex. (David J. Phillip/)

Even the Texas Republican Party chair didn’t come to Cruz’s defense.

“That’s something that he has to answer to his constituents about,” Texas GOP Chair Allen West said when asked whether Cruz’s travel was appropriate while Texans are without power and water.

The Texas Democratic Party was more blunt.

“Texans are dying and you’re on a flight to Cancun. #TedCruzRESIGN,” the Democratic Party tweeted.

Cruz claimed his family had lost heat and power as well.

“Our priority should be fixing this problem and making sure it doesn’t happen again, and I didn’t want all the screaming and yelling about this trip to distract even one moment from the real issues,” he said.

Leonel Solis and Estefani Garcia use their car to heat their home in East Dallas area of Dallas on Wednesday, Feb. 17. The couple, who lost power on Sunday, have been using electricity from a neighbor's generator and heat from their car to stay warm after seeing it on TikTok. (Juan Figueroa/)

Besides the terrible optics of taking a vacation in his state’s gravest moment of need, Cruz also rolled the dice with his family’s health.

The Centers for Disease Control warns against all travel to Mexico due to high COVID-19 levels, putting the nation in the level 4 “very high” risk category.

There was no word from Cruz’s office if the senator would self-quarantine.

With News Wire Service