As Republican Sen. Ted Cruz criticizes Democrats Zohran Mamdani, Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico during GOP midterm convention, supporter calls for political violence: ‘He should be shot’
A crowd member repeatedly shouted “He should be shot!” during Sen. Ted Cruz’s speech at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas on September 10 while the Texas Republican was criticizing Democrats including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.
During his speech, Cruz accused Democrats of embracing communism and Islamism while invoking left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker, sharia law and the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The suggestion of shooting a political figure came during a convention that repeatedly addressed political violence and included tributes marking one year since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Cruz attacks progressive Democrats
Addressing the crowd, Cruz said, “We are witnessing a new and dangerous red-green alliance. Communists and Islamists coming together and sweeping over the Democratic Party… Hear me now, Sharia law has no place in America. Sharia law is fundamentally inconsistent with the Constitution, and we need to stand together and stop it now. A simple truth: When people tell you who they are, believe them.”
He continued, “When Hasan Piker says, ‘America deserved 9/11,’ believe him. When Mamdani says he wants to ‘seize the means of production,’ he means it. When Abdul El-Sayed says he has a ‘obligation’ to comply with Sharia law, he means it. And when James Talarico says he wants to ‘dismantle capitalism,’ he means it.”
A crowd member could be heard shouting “He should be shot!” after Cruz mentioned each Democrat’s name, although it was unclear whether Cruz heard the remarks.
Democrats and experts condemn the threat
Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell wrote on X, “There aren’t even words for how chilling and disturbing this is. Threats of political violence are dangerous, unacceptable and have no place in our democracy. I pray for the safety of all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. This is clear hate, and we must stand up to it wherever and whenever we see it.”
Republican Convention crowd calls for assassinating Democratic candidates as Ted Cruz riles them up with lies:
“HE SHOULD BE SHOT!” pic.twitter.com/zXQ39DwczY
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) September 10, 2026
Craig Agranoff, a political professor at Florida Atlantic University, told Newsweek, “it is concerning.” He added, “One person yelling that after Cruz named Mamdani, El-Sayed and Talarico does not mean the whole room agreed with it, and Cruz does not appear to have engaged it. Still, the fact that it was audible and repeated is a problem.
“Political violence talk has become too casual on both sides, and moments like this feed the sense that opponents are enemies rather than rivals. It is a sign of the temperature in the country. It is not proof that a party has adopted assassination as a message,” he said.
El-Sayed has rejected Piker’s 9/11 remarks
El-Sayed previously distanced himself from Piker’s controversial comments about September 11. In August, he described Piker’s remarks that America deserved 9/11 as “dumb” and said, “America didn’t deserve 9/11,” adding that Piker had disavowed the statement.
Republicans have nevertheless continued highlighting El-Sayed’s association with Piker as the Michigan Senate race intensifies.
President Donald Trump and other GOP figures have also made El-Sayed and Talarico targets of criticism, while Cruz has repeatedly discussed both candidates ahead of the midterms.
Cruz invokes Kirk and 9/11 in his speech
Cruz also referenced Kirk, whose September 10, 2025, assassination was being commemorated at the convention.
“One year ago today, our friend Charlie Kirk was murdered. Twenty-five years ago tomorrow, Jihadist terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 Americans in the worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. In 2001, it would have been hard to imagine where we are today,” Cruz said.
He later added, “And on 9/11, could anyone have imagined that Comrade Mamdani would be the mayor of New York? The hate that killed Charlie Kirk, that knocked down the Twin Towers, that led to two assassination attempts on President Trump, it just keeps getting worse and worse.”