Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday that while it would be unlikely, he would “respond accordingly” if he once again sees a viable path to victory in the 2016 GOP race.
Asked in a radio interview if he somehow won Nebraska Tuesday whether he would consider getting back in the race, Mr. Cruz laughed and said he’s not holding his breath.
“My assumption is that that will not happen. But listen, let’s be very clear: if there is a path to victory, we launched this campaign intending to win,” Mr. Cruz said on “The Glenn Beck Program.”
“The reason we suspended the race last week is with Indiana’s loss, I didn’t see a viable path to victory,” Mr. Cruz said. “If that changes, we will certainly respond accordingly.”
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill later on Tuesday, Mr. Cruz said he is “not going to win Nebraska” and said he has no interest in a third-party run, but he also said he will always assess changed circumstances.
“We’ve suspended the campaign because I can see no viable path to victory,” he said. “Of course if that changed, we would reconsider things, but let’s be clear: we’re not going to win Nebraska today. There should be no mystery, no excitement in that.
“We’ve withdrawn from the campaign, and [it’s] in the hands of the voters,” he said. “If circumstances change, we will always assess changed circumstances, but I appreciate the eagerness and excitement of all the folks in the media to see me back in the ring.
“But you may have to wait a little bit longer for that” to happen, he said.
In the radio interview, Mr. Cruz deflected when asked about the prospect of supporting presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“Well listen, this is a choice every voter is going to have to make. And I would note, it’s not a choice that we as [the] voters have to make today,” he said.
“The voters in the primary seem to have made a choice and we’ll see what happens as the months go forward, but I think we need to watch and see what the candidates say and do,” he said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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