The Question Ted Cruz Reportedly Asked Dem Rep. After Getting an 'Earful' During Long Flight to South Africa

Appearing on MSNBC Monday, Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) recounted her experience sitting next to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on a 40 hour round trip to and from South Africa for Nelson Mandela's funeral service. She said she was able to "break through some of the talking points and really challenge them" during her discussions with Cruz.

However, at the end of the trip it was clear she had not changed his mind at all. Moore remembers him asking her if she was ready to "become a Republican."

(MSNBC)

Rep. Moore said Democrats had "a lot of curiosity" about why Cruz chose to make the long trip to South Africa for Mandela's memorial service. It was reported that the Tea Party Republican got an "earful" from his opponents on a number of issues.

"I do think that one of the benefits of these very close quarters is that you are forced to have conversations outside of the context of your talking points. I think it gets very, very uncomfortable on both sides to just stick to the script. And you’re very much challenged on those things," she explained.

Moore also admitted that Cruz "stuck to his guns" when the focus turned to Obamacare. Cruz also reportedly dined with Moore "on the ground" and the two "spent an awful lot of time together."

–

[related]