GOP presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said the GOP frontrunner will not be the Republican Party nominee and that he will pick up Trump’s supporters when he gets out of the race.
“I think in time, I don’t believe Donald is going to be the nominee, and I think in time, the lion’s share of his supporters end up with us,” Cruz said in an interview on WABC Radio with host Rita Cosby.
Cruz told Cosby he believes his own support will continue to grow because his record reflects that he “stood up to Washington,” took on Democrats and members of his own party, and led the fight against Obamacare, as well as executive amnesty:
You know, at the last Republican debate in California, every Republican candidate stood up there and said, “We need to defund Planned Parenthood.” But last week, when we had an epic drag down fight in Washington, not one of them showed up. Millions of conservatives rose up to defund Planned Parenthood. I was proud to lead that fight. And yet, the other ten candidates, not a one of them showed up and led. Can you imagine? I would have been glad to welcome every other Republican presidential candidate to Washington, to together call in unison on John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, “Stop giving taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood.” And yet, it seemed the other candidates were in witness protection. They were nowhere to be found when the fight was being waged. And I think that’s why conservatives are unifying behind our campaign … because they’re looking for a leader who they can count on day in and day out, to stand up and fight for them.
Cruz told Cosby that he respects and likes Trump. He also said Trump has framed the central question of this election: “Who will stand up to Washington?”:
There have been other candidates in this race who’ve gone out of their way to try to smack Donald with a two-by-four, and I haven’t been one of them. I am glad he’s in the race. And I’ll note, you know, I think the most beneficial thing Donald Trump’s involvement in the race has been, I think his involvement has been tremendously helpful to my campaign because it’s framed the central question of this primary as “Who will stand up to Washington?” And if that’s the central question, the natural next question, that any voter will ask, is: “Okay, well, who actually has stood up to Washington? Who has a record in that regard?”
Trump is ahead of Cruz by 17 points, according to the Real Clear Politics average. Trump is still leading the GOP field with 23.2 percent as Cruz is in 6th place with 6.2 percent.
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