Ted Cruz: Mitt Romney's 'Mushy Middle' Strategy Already Failed Republicans

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday dismissed news that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) appears to be quickly moving toward a third run for the White House.

"There are some who believe that the path to Republican victory is to run to the mushy middle, is to blur distinctions. I think that recent history has shown us that’s not a path to success. It doesn’t work. It’s failed electoral strategy," the conservative firebrand and potential 2016 contender told reporters at Heritage Action's conservative policy summit in Washington.

After issuing flat out denials for months, Romney reversed course and told donors last week that he was seriously considering joining a likely crowded GOP field. According to the Washington Post, Romney "said he is intent on running to the right of Jeb Bush," the former governor of Florida who is also considering a run for president.

In his speech at the Heritage Foundation, Cruz urged Republican lawmakers to enact a sweeping conservative agenda that included a balanced budget amendment, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, a repudiation of Common Core, and a vigorous fight against to block President Barack Obama's policies on immigration.

"The election was not an embrace of Republicans," Cruz said of the 2014 election, which gave Republicans control of Congress. "Instead the election was the voters roundly repudiating the path we're on."