US Senator Ted Cruz on Friday said he would vote for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, a dramatic about-face that might help unite the party, months after the fiery Texas conservative called Trump a “pathological liar” and “utterly amoral.”
The former Republican presidential hopeful said he was simply following through on a promise to support his party’s presidential nominee, even though the New York billionaire had nicknamed him “Lyin’ Ted,” insulted his wife and linked his father to the assassination of former US president John F. Kennedy.
However, facing intensifying political pressure to back Trump, Cruz said he would cast a vote for Trump, while stopping short of an official endorsement in a statement posted on Facebook.
The distinction may matter little to voters, but helps Cruz save face among those supporters still unwilling to forgive Trump’s heated attacks during their ugly and often intensely personal primary campaign.
Cruz was booed by Trump supporters at the national convention for encouraging Republicans to “vote your conscience.”
“After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump,” Cruz wrote.
Trump accepted Cruz’s support, describing it as an “endorsement” in a statement.
That was after Trump claimed he did not want Cruz’s endorsement immediately after the convention chaos.
“I am greatly honored by the endorsement of Senator Cruz,” Trump said. “We have fought the battle and he was a tough and brilliant opponent. I look forward to working with him for many years to come in order to make America great again.”
The development comes as a critical time in the presidential contest. The first debate is tomorrow and Election Day is less than seven weeks away. Early voting has already begun in some states. Trump and his democratic rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, remain locked in a tight race.
Trump, in particular, has been branded as a phony by conservatives — Cruz among them — who see him more as a political opportunist than a true Republican.
Clinton addressed the shift on social media by posting a tweet from Cruz himself calling on Trump to release his tax returns. The Texas senator released nine years of his returns, while Trump has refused to release any.
Cruz finished second to Trump in the primary and balked at previous promises to endorse the eventual nominee. On Friday, he cited two reasons for his shift.
“First, last year, I promised to support the Republican nominee. And I intend to keep my word,” he wrote. “Second, even though I have had areas of significant disagreement with our nominee, by any measure Hillary Clinton is wholly unacceptable — that’s why I have always been #NeverHillary.”
Cruz also faced intensifying political pressure from all quarters.
Since the convention speech, polls have suggested that Cruz’s popularity was slipping nationally and in Texas — where he could face a primary challenger for re-election in 2018.
His base supported his refusal to back Trump at first, but the mood shifted recently. The vast majority of calls coming into Cruz’s office had turned increasingly negative in recent weeks, with many voters urging him to support Trump to prevent a Clinton victory, according to Republicans familiar with the situation.
The Republicans spoke on the condition of anonymity, because these were internal discussions.
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