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."
The expansive Texas delegation � some 300 delegates and alternates, many in cowboy hats and trademark Lone Star State dress shirts � grumbled and booed. They remained deeply divided over their once-favorite son � cheering over his principled stand, but disappointed by his refusal to help unite the fractured GOP. One shouted in disgust that his parsing sounded like that of a lawyer, which Cruz is.
Pressed why he would not keep his campaign pledge to party to support the nominee, Cruz said all bets were off when Trump attacked his family.
"You got to get over it!" shouted one Texan. "This is politics!"
"This is not a game!" Cruz shouted back. "This is not politics. Right and wrong matter."
The risks for Cruz are clear. While his principled stand sets him apart from a GOP establishment that has reluctantly rallied around Trump, his refusal to lend his endorsement threatens to prolong the party disunity that has been on vivid display since the convention gaveled open this week in Cleveland.
The party is desperately trying to unify around Trump and salvage what many believe should be a prime chance this fall to compete for the White House against the unpopularity of Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Cruz may be take the high road, but it is not clear that the conservative voters who propelled his career � and his presidential run, as the last candidate standing next to Trump � will walk with him.
"He just eroded his base," said Gina Castenada, a delegate from Houston, who voted for Cruz during the primary. "The support will not be there in the next election."
"He's hurting himself," said Trump backer Tony Savarese. "He's starting his campaign now, instead of trying to win this one."
