Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas says voters who want to stop GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump should coalesce around his campaign — even if they’re looking at other candidates.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Mr. Cruz predicted he would do “very, very well” in Texas and referred to CNN/ORC polling released earlier in the day that showed Mr. Trump losing to Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton by 8 points in a head-to-head match-up and Mr. Cruz beating her by 1 point.
“If Donald is the nominee, Hillary Clinton in all likelihood becomes president, we lose the Supreme Court for a generation, the Bill of Rights is lost for a generation, we’re buried in debt, the future of our kids and grandkids is in real jeopardy,” Mr. Cruz told reporters in Houston, where he was casting his ballot.
“On the other hand, the polling consistently shows that I beat Hillary Clinton head-to-head and today, if you don’t want Donald Trump to be your nominee … then I ask you to join us, even if you’re thinking of another candidate,” Mr. Cruz said.
“Listen, there are good and honorable and decent people in this race — people I like and respect,” he said. “But the only campaign that is in a position to beat Donald Trump on Super Tuesday is our campaign, and if you don’t want to see Donald Trump as the nominee, if you don’t want us to give this election to Hillary Clinton, then I ask you to stand with us today.”
Mr. Cruz predicted that come Wednesday morning, it’s likely that both he and Mr. Trump would have a “whole bunch of delegates.”
“And I think there will be a big, big drop-off for the rest of the field,” he said.
“I will say for any candidate that wakes up tomorrow morning who has not won any states, for any candidate who wakes up tomorrow morning who has a negligible number of delegates, I think it’s time to start thinking about coming together and unifying and presenting a clear choice,” Mr. Cruz said.
“Tomorrow morning, people’s assessments are going to be different,” he said. “Everyone on Election Day says they will be there forever. But elections narrow the field, and we will see today, I believe, the field continuing to narrow.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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