Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is back in Washington after the midterm elections, ready to begin his second term.
"My number one priority has always been jobs," Cruz said.
The election was extremely close, as Cruz won by less than three percentage points in a nationally watched race. There were times Cruz trailed Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-El Paso) on election night. Cruz was declared the winner after 9 p.m.
"I'll tell you actually on election nights I tend to be very calm. And you think of the last six years. Listen, six years ago, I had never been elected to nothing. Prior to the 2012 election, the last thing I was elected to was student council," Cruz said.
O'Rourke made it a close race by outperforming Cruz in urban and suburban areas. O'Rourke even won Tarrant County -- a longtime Republican stronghold.
"Tarrant County, look, in Texas, Texans are divided right now, and this was a close election," Cruz said. "One of the things I stressed on election night, it is my job to be the senator for every Texan. For the Texans who voted for me, but also for the 4 million Texans who voted for Beto O'Rourke. My job is to represent everyone."
Cruz returns to what will be a very different Washington. While Republicans retain control of the Senate, the Democrats won control of the House of Representatives.
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"I will say I am concerned that the next two years we will see very little substantive legislation," Cruz said.
He said he hoped a lot will be done in the next few weeks.
"One of the things that I am urging my colleagues to do is, we have got six weeks left in the lame duck (session). I think we should continue passing meaningful legislation between now and Dec. 31, while we have a Republican house, we should finish the job," he said.
