I think it will be Trump/Cruz. They reportedly got along fine early in the process, and in the history of political rivalries, their spat is hardly something they can’t get past.
Trump will go for the Reagan/working class Dem vote while using Cruz to protect the base and target evangelicals in places like Iowa, Wisc, VA, FL, NC, Ohio, Indiana. I think the two of them would make Hillary have to thread the needle and put more pressure on her while Trump would go for a couple non GOP states...MI PA etc.
Strategically Cruz gives Trump cover to continue to make broad strokes that appeal in the general, while not risking the right base.
It double downs on immigration, and it would take nothing to pivot Cruz back to an non establishment candidate...which is another double down.
The media would be all over the place trying to attack the pair....they would be twisted in knots in how to frame it.
Just my prediction anyway.
I could live with this one. Trump hasn't been hardly as hard on Cruz as he has Rubio. I can't stand Rubio. Cruz has creepy moments but he stands for a lot of the things Trump does.
Right now the only way Trump loses me if he changes his mind on the wall. National security is a huge issue and you can't have it with open borders where anybody can sneak in and then aren't allowed to be deported. I think Cruz would go for having a wall too. Cruz would bring a lot of delegates and he is a little more conservative than Trump. I think he would temper Trump in some ways while still being strong against most of the GOPe. I'm afraid that Cruz in the President's seat would almost be dictator-like the way Obama is.
Trump is staying ahead partly because of the arrogance of the GOPe. People are mad and aren't going to take it anymore. If Trump is beaten fairly I won't have any trouble backing Cruz.
My main challenge now is sorting out all the lies they are telling on each other and they are all doing it, or so it seems. I'd like to see an end of the childish name calling and mud slinging so that we can figure out where they all stand on the issues. I know where Rubio stands; wherever the GOPe tells him to stand.
I hate to say this since I don’t like Cruz, but wouldn’t he make a better Supreme Court justice? Of course, there’s no way he’d get past the Dims for confirmation or for that matter the Pubs......