The fact that you see this as a contrived scandal is telling. Almost all political scandals are contrived.
This is not a scandal. This is an unforced error. Not recognizing that fact when Cruz himself obviously does disqualifies your opinion as valid.
You love Cruz and it blinds you to his failings.
I love DJT, but I keep perspective and I do see where he made unforced errors. (Barr, Sessions, etc.)
It’s nothing more than whipped up fake media outrage. Real Texans who would vote for Cruz don’t give a damn about if Cruz signaled he cared. They know he had no role in creating the problems, know he has no role in getting their power turned on, know he has no role in getting their water turned on, know he has no role in managing the electrical grid, know he has no role in managing power plants. Only in your mind (and other care bears) is this such a big deal.