Ted Cruz Mocks Michael Vick's Voting Rights Video With 'Killing Puppies' Diss

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz mocked former NFL quarterback Michael Vick following his appearance in a voting rights video, by commenting on the sports star's past convictions related to dogfighting

In a video, uploaded by voting rights organization More Than A Vote (MTAV) on Monday, Vick spoke out against Florida lawmakers' plans to amend elements of the voting process in the state.

Speaking about the provisions, Vick said: "You see what's happening, it's not just in Georgia. It's here in Florida."

He continued: "Last year I had my voting rights restored from the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. I did it for myself, but also for my future. Having children I realized I could make a difference. So, I got my voting rights restored, got registered to vote, and I got my vote in through the postal service since I was working out in California during football season."

Vick then outlined several of the controversial elements in the proposed bill that is making its way through the Flordia House of Representatives.

The many provisions included in House Bill 7041 include limiting the availability of ballot drop boxes and the hours they can be accessed, cracking down on volunteers' ability to bring food and drink to voters in line.

Cruz later responded to Vick's appearance in MTAV's video with a pointed jab at the football star's guilty plea in a dogfighting case.

In a tweet, which included the one-minute MTAV video, Cruz said: "If you like killing puppies, this might be persuasive."

The Republican's comment hinted at Vick's 2007 and 2008 convictions related to dogfighting at his home in Virginia.

Vick acknowledged that he knew poor-performing dogs were killed and admitted to being involved in the killing of at least eight dogs.

"All of those dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning," court documents from his trial alleged.

Cruz has also supported Republican voting bills at the state level and accused Democrats of attempting to "manipulate and steal" elections through the H.R. 1 For the People Act.

Democrats said the bill would improve voting rights by improving voter access and limiting gerrymandering. Republicans called the bill a Democratic power grab.

Appearing on Fox News' Hannity on March 10, Cruz called the bill "dangerous" and claimed Democrats would "benefit from voter fraud."

Cruz's and Republicans' voter fraud allegations come after the election defeat of former President Donald Trump in November 2020. Following Joe Biden's victory, Trump claimed widespread voter fraud, although they could not be proved in court.

In the aftermath of their defeat, Republican lawmakers introduced bills, which they said would help prevent voter fraud. The most notable is Georgia's controversial Election Integrity Act of 2021, which Democrats have labelled a voter suppression bill.