While Cruz’s comments have drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and Mayor Bill de Blasio, a number of the Texas senator’s fellow Republicans are also angered by his statement.

“Contrary to Mr. Cruz’s assumptions, the values of New Yorkers are strength, compassion, hard work, family and generosity. Not only was it on display in the aftermath of Sept. 11 and Hurricane Sandy, but we encounter it in our everyday lives,” said U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-C-Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island.) “The next time Sen. Cruz is fundraising in Manhattan, I invite him to come to my district where he can meet real New Yorkers, and maybe then he will think twice about wrongly insulting the integrity of the people I am so proud to call my fellow citizens.” 

Bob Capano, who has been involved in Republican politics in New York City for nearly two decades and who has run for public office in Bay Ridge, said he was disappointed with Cruz’s remarks.

“As I have been saying for almost two decades of involvement in Brooklyn and New York City politics, we must work to create a two-party town by demonstrating to voters the benefits of core Republican principles like school choice, accountability in government and policies that promote job growth. This is the message Ted Cruz should have delivered. We can not just give up New York to liberalism,” Capano said.

Others, however, were willing to cut Cruz some slack.

Mike Long, chairman of the New York State Conservative Party, told Bloomberg Politics that Cruz most likely didn’t mean to attack all New Yorkers, just de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the state’s two most prominent Democrats.

“Cruz could have articulated it a little better. All New Yorkers aren’t bankrupt when it comes to values, but most of our political leaders are,” Bloomberg Politics quoted Long as saying.

The war between Cruz and Trump isn’t likely to end any time soon.

On Sunday, Trump appeared on ABC’s This Week, denouncing Cruz’s remarks and calling his rival a “nasty guy” that nobody in Congress likes.

For his part, Cruz apologized, but not to Trump. “I apologize to the millions of New Yorkers who’ve been let down by liberal politicians in that state,” he said.

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