The video flap prompted Cruz to abruptly fire his chief spokesman, Rick Tyler, who posted the clip on social media, on Monday in an attempt to put his candidacy back on course.
Advertisement
Tyler had apologized late on Sunday for posting “an inaccurate story” involving a video purporting to show Rubio referring to the Bible and saying, “Not many answers in it”. Rubio’s campaign promptly accused Tyler and Cruz of playing dirty tricks.
Cruz and his top staffers have prayed together at critical junctures in the campaign, and, in asking for Tyler’s resignation, Cruz said he is “a good man” but that, even if the misquote had been correct, “we are not a campaign that is going to question the faith of another candidate for president”.
“It is our duty as Texas conservatives to support a leader we can trust to restore our values, that’s why I’m supporting Ted Cruz for president”, said Abbott. “I think that has manifested itself into some people questioning, albeit incorrectly, the real moral character of Senator Cruz and of this campaign”. The Cruz camp urged Carson supporters to switch their votes. It was welcomed by Cruz’s supporters in the March 1 states, who had been hearing the “dirty tricks” drumbeat since rival candidate Ben Carson blamed Cruz for a rumor that he was quitting the race. When three protesters got up to jeer Cruz’s stance on privatizing federally owned land, the candidate was interrupted by cheers as he discussed a niche issue that separates him from Trump.
Overall, Trump has 79 delegates, Cruz has 16 and Rubio has 15.
Ted Cruz just fired his top national spokesman for spreading a false story about Marco Rubio. Cruz will also be in Houston on Thursday for the Republican debate.
Rubio, who was already in MI on caucus night, didn’t speak after the results came in but earlier sought to project confidence that he can consolidate the non-Trump voters who have been splintering among an assortment of GOP candidates, saying, “We have incredible room to grow”.
Nevada’s weeknight Republican caucuses are the fourth contest in the nation for the GOP, behind SC, which took place last Saturday. Those attacks lost oxygen amid Cruz’s defensive posture against constant charges of dirty tricks by Rubio-some of them real, others unsubstantiated-and fierce attacks on his character by Trump at campaign rallies.
“I do think Rick Tyler is maybe being scapegoated a little bit here but it was a silly attempt at an attack”, Weekly Standard columnist Stephen Hayes told Fox News.
Marco Rubio has been racking up endorsements from his Senate colleagues.
Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford said, “Cruz believes that he can win the nomination and general election by running not from the center-right, but exclusively from the right, with a message that he’s in Washington but not of Washington, willing to oppose politics as usual from both parties”.
The Texas Republican primary is on March 1 along with other Super Tuesday states and the most recent poll has Ted Cruz in the lead with 29 percent, and Trump following a percentage point behind. In the same speech, Trump hammered Cruz, and boasted that he defeated the Texan among evangelicals in SC “because they don’t like liars”. That’s why I’m encouraged to see most Republicans didn’t turn a blind eye to the Cruz campaign’s actions.
Advertisement
But after finishing third in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire and second in South Carolina, Rubio needs a win soon to support the idea he can beat Trump. Well, except one – “How do I not lose my job in a presidential campaign season?”
