I think Cruz is perhaps a "stealth insider." The uniparty can afford to have a few on the fringes at both ends, in the House and Senate. Much tougher to allow that person to ascend to the presidency, so certainly, on its face, Cruz is unacceptable to the crony-establishment.
I also think that elevating Cruz to the presidency is something the GOPe would, if it wanted to, have a tough time doing. Not enough of the public will accept him.
I recall Laura Ingraham saying, months ago, keep an eye on Bush. I think that still holds. Somebody will be last man standing against Trump.
That is a thought provoking statement, as it goes against the conventional wisdom. Yet, there seems to be more and information that would support such a theory.
We'll have to see how this plays out. That Cruz was on the Republican Senatorial Committee in early 2014 so soon after the Fall, 2013 shutdown, tends to strengthen such a contention.