Posted on 02/24/2016 5:32:06 PM PST by TigerClaws
A secret coterie of prominent GOP leaders is considering transferring its support from Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz to his primary rival Marco Rubio, multiple sources familiar with the situation told National Review Online.
ADVERTISEMENT Known as “The Group,†the cabal is led by head of the Family Research Council Tony Perkins and Senate Conservative Fund President Ken Cuccinelli.
Members voted in December to endorse Cruz, finally reaching a supermajority of 75 percent after five ballots.
But in a conference call on Tuesday, watching the Nevada caucus results trickle in, members reevaluated the endorsement in light of recent developments in the nominating race.
The Texas senator’s flat performance in Saturday’s South Carolina primary – finishing third and losing the evangelical vote to front-runner Donald Trump – has caused members to question whether he still has a viable path to the nomination.
Charges of dishonesty leveled against Cruz by Trump and Rubio have stuck, Cruz supporters lamented, upending his message as the trusted conservative in the race.
Rubio backers in The Group have not aired their doubts about Cruz publicly, but are laying the groundwork for a defection from Cruz if he fails to gain traction in the March 1 primaries.
A source said members will take a “pragmatic charge to stop Trump†by switching to Rubio if Cruz flops on Super Tuesday, which Cruz has called his “firewall†in the primary race.
Not “Conservative”, RINO Establishment.
Too bad Rubio isn’t conservative.
If they go for senator amnesty, they’ll never survive it.
That will guarantee Trump.
I’ll switch from Cruz to trump just to stick it to them
Deceptive RINO establishment POS SCUMBAGS
Well, they can’t be conservative and back abandoning the rule of law, so ..........
GOP leaders do not equal ‘conservative leaders’. Misleading.
Rineo is for Amnesty. Was with Schumer in the gang of eight. Other that that he did nothing and was AWOL on the Florida tax payers dime. He is a bad joke ( not laughing here) . He is just a little pretty bot with a total net worth of less than $200K.
If they are considering supporting Rubio, they probably are not “conservative”.
I knew Tony Perkins well when he was a Louisiana State Rep. Worked with him a lot on several issues. He used to be a good guy.
It’s a shame how many folks who used to be conservative stalwarts have gone bad once they got to DC.
“multiple sources familiar with the situation told National Review Online”
LOL.
BS.
Conservative group supporting Rubio, the sweaty little amnesty boy? I think not.
Rineo is for Amnesty. Was with Schumer in the gang of eight. Other that that he did nothing and was AWOL on the Florida tax payers dime. He is a bad joke ( not laughing here) . He is just a little pretty bot with a total net worth of less than $200K.
Cruz remained true to his conservative beliefs in the Senate and that is why I voted for him today.
Conservatives dont just switch over to vote for a pro amnesty, gay rino candidate bcause of polig numbers in Nevada.
Sory, that just means they are not conservative.
Cuccinelli is certainly not a RINO. My guess is he figures Rubio is better on abortion than Trump.
These folks can do whatever they want. Switch from Cruz to the Miami Amnesty Whore, or whatever. It won’t matter. This election is out of their hands.
My, my. Look how “anti-establishment” Cruz’s support is turning out to be.
I don’t blame people for falling for Cruz’s scheme. He set himself up well in Congress. But it’s always important to remember Mark 8:18:
Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?
Ted Cruz gets his bread buttered by the same people as every other Super PAC-funded letdown ever. Just more of the same, in the end.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.