What happens if a U.S. senator for Texas resigns?

TX – In the aftermath of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, many have called for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to either resign or be disbarred. While Cruz has not indicated he has any intention of resigning, we took a look at how the resignation process works for Texas senators.

In the weeks prior to the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol, Cruz continued to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, citing unproven reports of election fraud. The senator has faced heavy criticism over these objections.

In a video excerpt taken just hours before the riot on Jan. 6, Cruz said the idea that some Americans believe the election was “rigged” is a “profound threat to this country” and that voting against the objection was a “statement that voter fraud doesn’t matter, isn’t real and shouldn’t be taken seriously.”

Since the riot, thousands of people have signed a petition to disbar Cruz, and others – including political figures – have called on him to resign. Biden himself has also said voters should oust Cruz and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) in the next election.

“I think they should be just flat beaten the next time they run,” Biden said. “I think the American public has a real good clear look at who they are. They’re part of the big lie, the big lie.”

Cruz has said he does not assume any blame for what happened at the Capitol.

“Not remotely,” he said. “What I was doing and what the other senators were doing is what we were elected to do, which is debating matters of great import in the chamber of the United States Senate. I joined with 11 other Senators and we proposed to the Senate that Congress should appoint an electoral commission.”