Jun. 15, 2016

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a former contender for the Republican presidential nomination, attended a dinner with more than 20 leading conservatives to flesh out his comeback as a movement standard-bearer in the order of Ronald Reagan.

The dinner, reported by The Hill, was held at the Virginia home of conservative activist Brent Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center, and was intended to discuss the future of the senator’s political career.

Many at the dinner equated Cruz’s position in the Republican Party to that of Reagan, who lost his initial bid for the Republican nomination in 1976 but soared to the top in 1980. Similarly, many conservative figures see an encouraging opportunity for Cruz in 2020.

One of the specific purposes of the meeting was to determine how best to position Cruz for a future presidential campaign and how best to steer the conservative movement from his seat in the Senate chambers.

Dining with Cruz and his chief of staff Paul Teller were some of the senior-most leaders of the conservative movement.

After a long-suffering campaign, Cruz ceded the primary contest to now-presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. The Texas lawmaker has not yet endorsed the billionaire businessman, but has pledged to use his leverage at the GOP Convention in July to ensure “Judeo-Christian principles” remain on the party’s platform.