Two of Texas’ leading Republicans are sounding the alarm for their party and their state ahead of the 2026 midterm elections in November.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick partnered for a podcast released Wednesday in which they warned of “crazies” coming out in full force against Republican candidates and their agenda in the Lone Star State.

Patrick described the political climate as a “five-alarm fire,” while Cruz warned Republicans that complacency could cost them the state-and potentially reshape presidential politics for years to come.

“We could lose Texas,” Cruz said.

“Every Republican, every conservative, every non-nuts common-sense Texan needs to understand the crazies are coming out in force,” Cruz said

Cruz and Patrick offered their usual criticisms of democrats in their partnered podcast. They said Democrats running in Texas races want to raise taxes, end school-choice policies and have, per Patrick, “boys to play girls’ sports.” None of those claims are necessarily new from the Texas GOP. But the concern expressed by Cruz and Patrick suggests Texas races previously out of reach for Democrats could soon be in play.

“If Democrats take Texas, you never elect a Republican to the White House ever again because of the electoral votes,” Patrick said. “We’re going to have to fight for it. I’m convinced we’ll prevail in the end. [Gov. Greg Abbott] and myself, and then if we prevail, then the rest prevails.

“We’re going to have to work hard, though, and people need to understand what’s on the line: the future of the country.”

Cruz painted a particularly bleak picture of what could happen if Democrats take control of Texas, comparing the state’s current political situation with California decades ago.

He recalled speaking at the California Republican Party convention earlier this year and telling attendees that he understood what it felt like for Republicans to believe their state was permanently out of reach.

Then he revealed the state he was actually describing wasn’t California.

“I said, ‘I’m not talking about California. I’m describing my state of Texas in the 1970s,'” Cruz said.

Patrick will face Democratic State Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin in a race for the Lt. Gov. role in November, and Abbott Democratic Gov. nominee Gina Hinajosa. Cruz will remain in his Senate seat through 2030, while Texas’ second Senate seat will be decided by the race between Democrat Rep. James Talarico and Ken Paxton, Texas’ Attorney General and the GOP nominee for Senate.

Talarico leads Paxton narrowly in the latest round of recently released Senate polls.