Jeb Bush endorses Ted Cruz, disses Donald Trump
Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who saw his candidacy derailed by Donald Trump, threw whatever political weight he has left behind Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday morning.
"Today, I am endorsing Ted Cruz for president," Bush said in a statement released by the Cruz campaign. "Ted is a consistent, principled conservative who has demonstrated the ability to appeal to voters and win primary contests."
You May Also Like
Cruz is unpalatable to many establishment Republicans. But by backing him, Bush is making a major push for the "Stop Trump" forces to coalesce around him.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Bush is also passing on a fellow Republican governor, John Kasich of Ohio, who trails badly in the delegate count. Kasich cannot mathematically win the majority of delegates before the Republican National Convention this summer, while Cruz technically still could -- or at least put up a strong challenge to Trump at a contested convention.
Cruz added to his string of primary victories late Tuesday with a strong showing in Utah, securing enough of the vote to win all of the state's 40 delegates. But Trump won all 58 of Arizona's delegates the same night, adding to his nearly insurmountable lead in the three-man race.
Bush waited to deliver an endorsement until Marco Rubio had dropped out of the GOP contest, spurning the Florida senator who had once been his political protégé but who had angered Bush by running against him for the nomination.
In his endorsement, Bush specifically called out Trump, who had constantly belittled Bush at debates. "For the sake of our party and country, we must move to overcome the divisiveness and vulgarity Donald Trump has brought into the political arena," Bush said, "or we will certainly lose our chance to defeat the Democratic nominee and reverse President Obama’s failed policies."
Trump's most effective insult against Bush during the campaign wasn't particularly vulgar -- but when he started calling Bush a "low-energy" candidate, it stuck, and Bush never recovered.
"I'm truly honored to earn Governor Jeb Bush's support," Cruz said in the statement. "His endorsement today is further evidence that Republicans are continuing to unite behind our campaign to nominate a proven conservative to defeat Hillary Clinton in November."
Cruz has now picked up endorsements from at least four candidates -- Bush, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham and Rick Perry -- some more begrudging than others. Graham once joked that "if you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you." But he, too, has fallen in line behind Cruz as the GOP's most viable option to beat Trump.
While Bush's endorsement may or may not be more enthusiastic, his support could help Cruz tap into his family's extensive network of donors and other supporters.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
For his part, Trump has received support from former candidates Chris Christie and Ben Carson.
This story is developing ...
Topics Elections
Jonathan Ellis is Managing Editor at Mashable. He oversees the daily news report and manages Mashable’s team of news editors. He also works closely with Mashable's product team in developing new tools and ways of reaching and interacting Mashable's audience. Prior to Mashable, Jonathan was at the New York Times in a number of positions since 2006. He was most recently senior editor for digital platforms, leading a team of newsroom editors who helped tailor the Times’ mobile products and news report. He is a graduate of Brown University where he studied public policy and computer science.
