By being a conservative for all seasons, Cruz is the natural leader who will attract most supporters of each other candidate as they drop out.
I see Cruz as a VP. I just don’t see the leadership qualities yet. He makes good speeches, but in order to lead - one has to have followers. Yes, he has his followers in the electorate, but he isn’t making any inroads in Congress - sure he is thwarted at every turn, but so is Trump and Trump steam rolls over his critics. JMO.