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Ted Cruz booed hard at Republican convention

The crowd went nuts, waiting for him to say one name.

Peter Allen Clark

on July 20, 2016

Ted Cruz said a lot during his speech on the third night of the Republican National Convention.

But the one thing the Texas senator didn't say, was an endorsement for the party's newly nominated candidate: Donald Trump.

In the waning moments of Cruz's speech, which many saw as the opening of his 2020 presidential bid, the delegates on the floor and the attendees of the GOP convention grew increasingly restless to hear the runner-up in the primary race endorse Trump.

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Instead, Cruz called on people to vote for candidates that they stand behind.

"If you love our country and love your children as much as I know you do, stand and speak and vote your conscience," he said to a loud crowd, full of jeers as well as cheers. "Vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the constitution."

Cruz did mention Trump's name. But only once, at the beginning of his speech, when he congratulated Trump on receiving the nomination last night.

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It was a tension that was felt during the whole of the speech, well outside of Cleveland, when many at home watched the proceedings on the edge of their seats.

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Of course, many expected Cruz to forego endorsing his party's nominee. The primary battle grew nasty as it went into the spring and Trump regularly used the moniker "Lyin' Ted" for the freshman senator. The reality star also threatened to "spill the beans" on Cruz's wife last March after an anti-Trump ad used a picture of Melania Trump.

The names and the accusations flew from either side as Cruz responded by calling Trump a "pathological liar" and a "narcissist" last May.

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And when Cruz's speech was over, social media reacted with a mix of surprise, admonition and admiration for the slight.

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Even New Jersey governor and vocal Trump supporter Chris Christie couldn't believe what was happening.

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UPDATE: July 21, 2016, 4:52 p.m. BST

On Thursday, Ted Cruz defiantly defended his refusal to endorse Trump during his convention speech.

"I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father," Cruz said at a morning meeting. "That pledge was not a blanket commitment that if you go ahead and attack Heidi that I’m going to come like a servile puppy dog and say, ‘Thank you very much for maligning my wife and maligning my father.’"

During the primary campaign, Trump called Cruz "Lyin' Ted", said his father was linked to JFK's assassination and shared an unflattering photo of Cruz's wife on Twitter.

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Topics Donald Trump

Peter Allen Clark

I have done neat stuff all over these United States from sailing lessons on the Puget Sound to motorcycle maintenance on the backroads of upstate New York. My professional experience extends from newspaper reporting in the mountains of Eastern Oregon to fixing espresso machines throughout Kentucky. I also have kept a cat alive for 10 years.