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I’m a Cruz guy, though Trump is my #2 choice.

Most of my extended family are over the moon for Trump, and when I suggest Cruz (though he is growing on them) until now I would just get a blank stare.

I believe this is for two reasons. One, until Trump came on the scene the media did a good job of freezing him out. Most people didn’t know he existed, the media essentially wouldn’t give him the time of day. What attention he did get was to be attacked by other Repubs.

Trump came on the scene and was able to shout and be heard over the press noise machine. Though he did “suck all the air out of the room” to an extent, he also actually helped Cruz in a way. The media could ignore Cruz, they can’t ignore Trump. Trump has, in a way, helped to clear a path for Cruz though obviously they are rivals.

Another issue is this: people don’t trust politicians. Trump doesn’t talk like a politician, whereas (to the ears of my extended family) Cruz does. Keep in mind that most people don’t follow politics that closely to know what battles Cruz has fought, or what Trump’s positions were a year ago. Trump is a plain spoken guy saying what people think. Cruz holds many of the same positions, and is a constitutionalist to boot, but doesn’t have the same persona.

For me, its very important that Cruz is a constitutionalist. For my extended family, its important that Trump will secure the border, and won’t back down from a fight. Cruz doesn’t either, but I don’t think they see that. They don’t trust any politician to do what he says he’ll do. I don’t entirely trust Trump, because he is in the end a pragmatist and a deal-maker on everything except the border; he is my #2 pick, though, because the border is that important.

I was very happy when Cruz and Trump were de facto allies. I’m sorry to see the truce end, though I suppose it had to end sometime.

You may see it differently, but this is more or less how I see it.