Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said Sunday that if primary rival Texas Sen. Ted Cruz continues to engage in dirty campaigning, voters rightly should question Mr. Cruz’s character, integrity and his credibility to be president.
Mr. Rubio finished second in Saturday’s Republican primary in South Carolina, and Mr. Cruz finished a close third. The race in South Carolina had been marked by tough politics, and Mr. Rubio and other Republicans have accused Mr. Cruz of stepping over the line.
His alleged misdeeds began in Iowa, when Cruz supporters falsely claimed that Ben Carson would be exiting the race and his backers should flock to the Cruz side. Mr. Rubio contends that Mr. Cruz’s penchant for nasty campaigning has continued with false robocalls and a photoshopped picture of Mr. Rubio appearing to shake hands with President Obama.
Pressed on whether Mr. Cruz has the proper character to be president, Mr. Rubio said it’s clear the Cruz campaign lacks integrity.
“I think certainly in his campaign it’s missing. I’ve never seen this behavior from him before,” Mr. Rubio said. “You conduct a campaign like that, it’s going to reflect on you. It’s going to reflect on your campaign, and I think ultimately, if it continues, it does say something about your ability to govern this country.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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