Cruz's long White House run could mean newfound GOP clout

KWES-TV ^ | May 5, 2016 | Will Weissert and Scott Bauer, The Associated Press

[2ndDivisionVet]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - In finishing the Republican presidential race well ahead of Donald Trump's other rivals, Ted Cruz is likely to be a leading GOP voice for the foreseeable future.

Less clear is whether Cruz harnesses that clout to help Trump win the White House or whether he simply solidifies his place as a champion of conservative causes, Senate troublemaker and star of Texas politics.

Cruz is being talked about as a leader of the national conservative movement, and he has an unmatched organization in Texas....

[MeanWestTexan]

It’s true.

He’s young and smart and very respected outside of the Trumpers who have somehow taken over a conservative forum.

He has a very solid organization of serious-minded people.

So the crowd picked Barabbas this time.

Picking the loudest idiot is what crowds do.

Eventually something else shiny and sparkly will attract their attention and they will wander off again.

[MeanWestTexan]

“My Friends in Texas swear he won’t be re elected”

Hahaha. Stop hanging out with Democrats then.

Trump is so hated in Texas for the lies he spread he probably will lose this red state.

Gary Johnson (a libertarian loon from NM) is already pulling in the support.

[Harpotoo]

The only problem I got with Cruz is his and his Dad’s insistence that he is “God”’s gift to US! That’s kind of creepy.

[lonestar]

He worked for the Bush campaign.

The Bushes did NOT support Cruz when he an for the senate. They supported his opponent, David Dewhurst.

[GrouchoTex]

I don’t think it really hurt, either.

W and GHWB are still fairly well respected in here in Texas.

Trump will need support from these same people, and from what I have been reading, he is starting to get some of the Cruz backers to align with him. That’s a good thing.

Cruz will get those same people back on his next run for Senate, and POTUS if he decides to do that again.

And why not? He has proven to be the most conservative Senator we have had from Texas in my lifetime.
Surely more conservative that Hutchison and Cornyn were ever going to be.

[GrouchoTex]

GHWB donate 1000.00 to Cruz in his Senate race against Dewhurst.
Pissed Rove off. He wanted Dewhurst, but for just one reason.
Seems the GOPe was raising money for GHWB’s library, and that the money may not come in if it got out the GHWB endorsed Cruz.
Cruz agreed not to mention the endorsement.
GHWB said he understood completely.
W isn’t really fond of him, but I don’t believe any Bush would support a democrat over Cruz in his next Senate Campaign.

[GrouchoTex]

I don’t hold that against him.
You can’t pick your family.

[jospehm20]

The guy was a Canadian NBC until late 2014. I would rather vote for somebody who is from Texas, as I plan to do in 2018.

[bigbob]

I’m just thankful I don’t have to listen to his whiny slimy voice every day..Lyin’ Ted.

[Fantasywriter]

‘Only the GOP puts looser’s on a pedestal.’

Rush has been saying for years that losing is a Democrat-Party resume enhancer.

[TexasM1A]

Would you care to bet on that?.

[drinktheobamakoolaid]

You obviously do not know the history Mr. Cruz and the State of Texas. Ted Cruz defeated David Dewherst in the run for US Senator. Dewherst was the “Political Elite” in Texas. Dewherst was suppose to win big and was even endorsed by Rick Perry. It also seems that you forgot who won the Texas primary. Of course I would try to forget his losses too if I were a Trump supporter.

[biff]

Yep, and the Constitution Party is gearing up in Texas too. If you look at their website you will see 7 planks we true conservatives believe in.

[nathanbedford]

Before the primary season ended, I observed that Trump will not be able to insult his way to victory in the general election in November. That observation was made before Trump inexcusably traduced the entire Cruz family by repeating on national television the utterly baseless claim that Rafael Cruz was consorting with Lee Harvey Oswald.

One can hardly blame the Cruz family just as one can hardly blame the Bush family for failing to endorse Donald Trump for president. This has nothing to do with the contempt many Trump supporters have for Cruz and the two Bushes, it simply has to do with human nature.

It is not up to Cruz to endorse the outrages libel of his father by endorsing Trump. It is not up to Cruz to overlook Trump's connection to the utterly spuriously allegations of Cruz' infidelities.

The onus is on Trump to unite the Republican Party and that includes the inescapable fact that Trump cannot win the White House if he loses Texas. Failing to secure the endorsement of a former governor/president as well as a sitting senator who clearly won the primary in Texas, puts that indispensable goal just a bit farther out of reach.

We see now evidence why Donald Trump cannot insult his way to victory. I urge him to make amends as soon as possible.

[ripnbang]

You mean the state where Cruz was a popular sitting Senator and couldn’t pull more than 44% of the vote early in the primary before he went off the rails?

[MeanWestTexan]

Well said.

[ripnbang]

Ted beat Dewhurst before it was revealed for who he was. Remember Ted owed his Senate seat to Palin, he said it himself. Who did Palin back this go around? Not Cruz.

[MeanWestTexan]

I’d love for that party to take Texas.

[drinktheobamakoolaid]

Guess you don’t want Trump to win. You seem to want to keep trashing Cruz. Your must have not seen the news. Trump won and Cruz dropped out.

I thought Trump sent an email to his supporters saying that we should no longer be trashing Cruz.

I think Trump still needs the Cruz support to help him win the election.

It doesn’t matter to me if you want to keep trashing Ted.

[Bayou Dittohead]

I agree. By now everyone should understand that Trump said what he needed to say to win. Trump is a fighter. I believe he has more respect for Cruz than any of the others by the simple fact that only Cruz gave him any challenge. I doubt Cruz can get past all that happened but it would not surprise me if Trump wanted to double down on outsider and choose Cruz as VP.