Posted on 03/10/2016 4:12:43 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
MIAMI -- Utah Sen. Mike Lee endorsed Ted Cruz for president on Thursday afternoon.
"It's time, my fellow Americans, to expect more. It's time to expect freedom," Lee said at the University of Miami. "It's time to elect Ted Cruz as the next president of the United States."
Two sources told BuzzFeed News earlier on Thursday of Lee's plans to endorse Cruz.
The Lee endorsement comes on the heels of Carly Fiorina's unexpected endorsement of Cruz on Wednesday. Both of these endorsements were rolled out in Miami, the home turf of Cruz's rival Marco Rubio, whose campaign is struggling ahead of the Florida primary where he is trailing Donald Trump.
Lee was one of five senators -- three of whom are running for president -- not to vote on a Senate bill about heroin treatment on Thursday morning in Washington.
Lee, a Tea Party stalwart and former Constitutional lawyer, was Cruz's top Senate ally in the 2013 effort to defund Obamacare, which resulted in a 16-day government shutdown. The episode turned Cruz into a right-wing rock star, but it also earned him many Republican enemies on Capitol Hill, and until now he hadn't received the endorsement of a single Senate colleague. Lee is the first sitting senator to formally back Cruz's candidacy.
Lee opted to stay on the sidelines for most of the 2016 primary race, which has featured three candidates whom he considers to be his closest friends in the Senate: Cruz, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio.
Rubio is polling well in Lee's home state of Utah, and his campaign had hoped to score the senator's endorsement.
Speaking to reporters at the University of Miami on Wednesday afternoon, Lee said he was "sending the signal that it's time to unite" behind Cruz. He nudged Rubio to get out of the race, saying "If Sen. Rubio were asking me that, I would encourage him, and I do encourage him to get behind Ted Cruz." Lee said he had spoken with Rubio before endorsing Cruz, but didn't share details of the conversation, saying it was private.
The Cruz campaign declined to comment.
How many times is the tediban going to post this?
Dr. Carson endorsed Donald Trump. I wonder which one has more meaning. Time will tell in Florida. If Cruz wins Florida, Trump should drop out. If Trump wins Florida, Cruz should drop out. Deal?
Dang. How many times is he going to endorse him already.
Makes sense.
Are you in Boulder, Colorado?
Check the box for Utah on Cruz’s list of 8 required states for Rule 50.
Isn’t this the guy that like leaded water?
Dude. You know where I live. Why are you acting dumb?
who?
Probably as many time as Jeff Sessions endorsed the Donald.
meant silly.
Add Carson to the list of Trump endorsers signing on with the frontrunner in hopes of getting a job in the administration.
Add Mike Lee to the list of principled constitutional conservatives endorsing Cruz.
Nice Democratic talking point you got there.
He’ll soon snag Jeb! Woo hoo!
How many times was that?
lol. I get it. So you are probably in agreement that Cruz will lose another state in Florida on Tuesday. And many others. You know we are running out of states for Cruz to win.
I’ll give Mike Lee a “pass” on this one. He’s a loyal friend to Cruz.
Yes Mikey is a day late and a dollar short. If he really cared about Teddy, he would have endorsed him before Super Tuesday. Cruz is running out of states to win. He is going to be pulverized on Tuesday.....he is going to pick up 3rd place wins....that is not impressive. I know you Cruz people think a bunch of 2nd places is winning but regardless it isn’t.
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