Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Tuesday night ruled out running for majority leader after Republicans captured the upper chamber.
The Texas senator and Tea Party favorite, though has declined to say whether he would vote for McConnell for majority leader.
Asked if there would be a challenger to McConnell, Cruz said, "I don’t think anyone has declared their intention to run, and that will be a decision for the conference next week, and we’ll see."
"My practice has been not to second guess leadership decisions," Cruz said when asked why he is reluctant to express support for McConnell as leader.
"I recognize folks like to focus on interpersonal jockeying between politicians in Washington. Look, I think most Americans couldn’t care less about politicians in Washington,” he added.
Cruz, who is considered a potential 2016 presidential contender, has had a difficult relationship with GOP leadership. He refused to endorse fellow Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) until after his primary.
Before Election Day, Cruz pushed for Republicans to move ahead with a strong conservative agenda if they won the Senate.
