Ted Cruz's 2020 campaign starts now, at the expense of unifying GOP around Trump
CLEVELAND _ Sen. Ted Cruz all but announced his 2020 presidential bid, positioning himself as the most prominent Republican unwilling to back Donald Trump and the party's most unflinching conservative in an incredible revolt that threatens to further divide the GOP.
In a rowdy exchange Thursday morning with home-state Texas delegates after being booed the night before at the Republican National Convention, Cruz said the party is not a "social club" but must hold true to its values. Asked repeatedly whether he would back Trump, Cruz refused.
"This isn't just a team sport," Cruz shouted over angry Texans. "We either stand for shared principles or we're not worth anything,"
Cruz didn't close the door on an eventual endorsement of Trump, but after their bitter primary campaign, when Trump attacked his rival's wife and father, Cruz made it clear the GOP nominee had not earned his vote.
"I am doing what millions of Americans are doing," Cruz told fellow Texans, "I am watching and I am listening."
"I don't intend to throw rocks," Cruz said, and when pressed if ant-Trump voters should cast for him insisted: "I am not encouraging anybody to write my name in."
_ Tribune Washington Bureau
