Calls for Violence Erupt at GOP Midterm Convention During Ted Cruz Speech

The Republicans wrapped up what they called a "midterm convention" on Thursday night, but not without controversy. Here is a look at what unfolded and why many Democrats believe that their GOP colleagues should be ashamed.

Attendees of RNC Convention Shout Out Calls for Violence

Shouts of "he should be shot" rang out in the air several times when Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was speaking about some of the GOP's staunchest critics. Cruz was speaking on Thursday evening at the end of his party's midterm convention, designed to rally support for the Republicans in the state of Texas ahead of November's crucial elections.

During his address, Cruz mentioned three Democrats by name - New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, and Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.  Audible shouts of "he should be shot" were yelled after each name.

It is not known if Cruz heard the yelling as he was speaking. He did not pause and acknowledge the shouting.

The timing of the rhetoric was particularly notable as it came on the first anniversary of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Earlier in the night, Vice President JD Vance headlined the convention and spent time reflecting on Kirk's life and his tragic death.

Kirk was 31 years old when he was shot while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. The co-founder of Turning Point was known for being a leading conservative voice for younger Americans, particularly college students.

The first anniversary of the shooting was acknowledged several times on Thursday at the convention. Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Joe Gruters said, “Charlie was killed one year ago today. He believed in America and freedom and young people’s courage to stand up and fight for the country they love.”

Cruz worked Kirk's assassination into his speech as he was detailing what he said was an increase in extremism in the political sphere. “The hate that killed Charlie Kirk, that knocked down the Twin Towers, that led to two assassination attempts on President Trump, it just keeps getting worse and worse," said Cruz.

While Kirk was a focal point on Thursday, several speeches centered on targeting the Democratic Party as being radical. The "he should be shot" shouts were heard when Cruz was urging those in attendance to take the comments and positions of Talarico, El-Sayed, and Mamdani seriously.

When speaking about Mamdani, Cruz said, “A simple truth: When people tell you who they are, believe them. When Mamdani says he wants to seize the means of production, he means it.” Likewise, Cruz told the audience, “When Abdul El-Sayed says he has a, quote, ‘obligation,’ to comply with Sharia law, he means it." The long-standing senator also said, “And when James Talarico says he wants to dismantle capitalism, he means it.”

For context, Mamdani said that he had an "end goal of seizing the means of production” during a 2021 speech. When this comment was brought up last year during his mayoral campaign, a spokesperson for Mamdani said that his platform did not aim to seize the means of production.

Cruz's comments about El-Sayed date back to a 2009 New York Times interview where El-Sayed said that he felt obligated to follow Sharia law when buying his first home. This tenet instructs Muslims to avoid paying interest on loans, making obtaining a mortgage more difficult.

Cruz's disparaging remarks about Talarico are more nuanced. Talarico reportedly commented in 2020 that he thought capitalism should be dismantled, adding it to a list including White supremacy and climate change. However, more recently, Talarico's campaign said that he was a "proud capitalist."

Reaction to the Calls for Violence From the Audience

Mike Rogers is the Republican running against El-Sayed in Michigan. A spokesperson for the campaign said that Rogers “condemns those comments — and all political violence.”

El-Sayed was interviewed on CNN shortly after the speech. In the discussion with Kaitlan Collins, El-Sayed said that “I’m a dad with two daughters and I hope those daughters get to grow up and live with their dad." He went on to say that “This is what has become the norm in our politics. I mean, literally calls to violence.”

Despite their differences, El-Sayed said that he did agree with Cruz that politics were becoming too consumed by the hateful rhetoric. He told Collins that “When you hear that kind of call to violence, it should be shuddering to all of us. I hope that everybody who heard that is going to call it out for what it is: a call for violence that ought to be condemned across the board.

Democratic Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts posted on X, encouraging all of her colleagues on the other side of the aisle to condemn the shouts. Likewise, Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, called the shouts “clear hate.”

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