Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has weathered some political storms and proven himself to be a tough political opponent. He launched a presidential bid in 2016 and topped all but one party opponent and has since developed into a conservative champion and senior GOP leader.
The race to become the Republican Party nominee in the 2024 presidential election has seen all but three candidates drop out. Cruz was hesitant to endorse a candidate last year because of his friendship with former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
That hesitation ended this week after Trump won the Iowa caucuses in historic fashion, finishing 30 points ahead of the field. The decisive win prompted Cruz to announce his pick for president.
From The Daily Wire:
“Congratulations to President Trump on that dominating victory,” Cruz said. “And at this point, I believe this race is over. So, I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States, I look forward to supporting him enthusiastically because I think it’s time for the Republican Party to unite, for us to come together.”
Cruz said he is a big believer in democracy which played out in Iowa as Trump won across the board in 98 of 99 counties and secured 51 percent of the vote. Second place topped out at 21 percent. The senator wants to see Trump’s early success carry the GOP forward.
“We’ve got to beat Joe Biden, we’ve got to beat this disastrous cultural Marxist agenda in the White House,” Cruz said. “We got to come together and win and with the results last night, the people have spoken, it’s time to move onward to victory in November.”
The senator knows that more than the White House is at stake with Republicans trying to hold the House and win back the Senate. When it comes to winning back the White House, Cruz doesn’t see a path forward for anyone other than Trump.
Next up in the GOP primaries is New Hampshire which is expected to be closely contested among party candidates despite Trump’s huge Iowa win. DeSantis and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley are projected to compete with Trump in New Hampshire.
South Carolina follows and Cruz believes Trump will secure a “dominating victory” there. Super Tuesday will be next in the race and that’s where Cruz believes Trump will clearly separate from any challengers. More than a third of all delegates are in play on Super Tuesday, March 5, with primaries in 16 states.
“I don’t see a path for any (other) candidate after that,” Cruz said. “And at this point, I think the contrast needs to be on substance and policy and records.”
Key Takeaways:
- Ted Cruz endorsed Trump for president: “This race is over.”
- After the Iowa win, Cruz projected Trump as the party nominee.
- Cruz doesn’t see a path forward for any other GOP candidate.
Source: The Daily Wire
