does cruz count? technically, he went from being the central target of the msm during the 2012-14 span in the senate as mcconnell's biggest pain in the ass to now being a pretty normal gop senator. honestly, losing in 2016 did wonders for cruz's career, because he grew a beard and a spine, started a podcast, and is much more popular than he was in 2016 and before. but you're definitely right about guys like scott walker, bobby jindal, etc.
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