Senators John Cornyn, Ted Cruz accept Dallas mayor's invite to attend inauguration ceremony

DALLAS - Both Texas senators were in Dallas Tuesday for the inauguration of the new city council.

Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz were the invited guests of Mayor Eric Johnson, who is entering his second and final term.

It was an unusual sight for a city inauguration ceremony. 

Sen. Cornyn said before the inauguration that he was here to support the mayor, who despite their different political parties have formed a friendship. 

"It is my honor to represent 30 million Texans. In the course of that, I get to meet some talented people like Mayor Johnson," he said. "He and I have gotten to be friends and worked on a number of projects.

On stage to introduce the mayor, Cornyn said Dallas is doing things right. 

"Dallas is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country," he said. "It is a driving force behind the ‘Texas-dous’ other cities are experiencing."

Cornyn tied the city's success to its support of the Dallas Police Department. 

Dallas is the only major city in America to lower crime for two years in a row, according to FBI data. 

"It is truly amazing that both our U.S. senators are here today," Johnson said.

Before the mayor spoke, both Cornyn and Cruz left to catch a flight back to D.C. 

Johnson said Dallas has been described as the Wall Street of the south, attracting companies and people from Los Angeles and New York. 

"According to the Wall Street Journal, New York lost nearly 470,000 people between April 2020 and July 2022 because of COVID lockdowns and increasing crime," Johnson said. "That's more people than live in the entire city of Miami.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia alluded to the challenges of population growth and the pressure on his department when asked if the success can continue. 

"There is no light at the end of the tunnel," he said. "There is just another tunnel."

While it is not clear what if any political reasons were behind the visits by Cornyn and Cruz, Councilman Adam Bazaldua said he appreciates their support. 

"For them to take the time to be here, it shows we are doing something right as a city," he said.

Mayor Johnson said his priorities for the next four years are to continue to improve public safety, the city's parks system and to continue to lower property taxes. He said he wants Dallas to have the lowest tax rate for a major city in the region.