When Chip Roy was a top staffer for Ted Cruz, he was an architect of the
Texas senator’s strategy to shut down the government over Obamacare.

Now, in all likelihood, he’s heading for Congress with a House seat of
his own, and top Republicans worry he’s going to make Cruz look like a
squishy moderate.

Roy is ready to play hardball with GOP leaders in Congress. He has
pledged to support House Freedom Caucus founding chairman Jim Jordan for
speaker, and is expected to quickly establish himself as one of the
House GOP’s most outspoken and combative members.

As with so many conservatives, however, Roy is treading lightly when it
comes to Donald Trump. Once a fierce critic—described by friends as a
committed “Never Trump” advocate in 2016, when he was working in support
of Cruz’s presidential campaign—the congressional hopeful now talks
fondly of the president, praising his assault on “the swamp” and sharing
his concern about a “deep state” acting as a shadow government.

And while most Republicans campaigning for Congress this November are
touting the accomplishments of President Trump and his GOP majorities:
tax reform, regulatory relief and a soaring number of federal judicial
appointments. In the deep-red 21st congressional district of Texas, Chip
Roy is running on a different message: Republicans haven’t done nearly
enough.

“If there is a thousand miles to go, we’ve gone maybe 50 miles,” Roy
tells POLITICO’S “Off Message” podcast. “So now, we’ve got to focus on
the things that the people really want to see done. We’ve got to have
healthcare freedom, we’ve got to balance the budget and we’ve got to
secure the border.”

POLITICO's "Off Message" podcast is hosted by Tim Alberta, produced by
Zack Stanton and executive produced by Dave Shaw. Intro/outro music by
Podington Bear.

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