Wednesday, July 20, 2016
CLEVELAND (AP) — To chants of "2020, 2020," Republican Sen. Ted Cruz today left open the possibility of a second White House run even as Donald Trump arrived in Cleveland to accept the GOP presidential nomination.
"I don't know what the future is going to hold. I don't know what's going to happen," Cruz told his rowdy supporters, many of them cheering another bid. "But what I do know what remains unshakable is my faith in the men and women here."
The freshman lawmaker with Texas-size political ambitions has stopped short of a full-throated endorsement of Trump, his bitter primary rival who often mocked him as "Lyin' Ted." Cruz was slated to deliver a prime-time convention speech, but no endorsement was expected.
At a rally with some 900 delegates, donors, GOP officials and supporters at a lakeside restaurant, Cruz barely mentioned Trump's name during an appearance billed as a "thank you" event for supporters.
"Our party now has a nominee," Cruz said today, just as Trump's plane flew overhead. The senator laughed and turned his remarks toward the future, declining to say Trump's name.
With an eye toward 2020, Cruz's team drafted a convention speech focusing on adherence to the Constitution, a calling card for conservatives and a perceived contrast with Trump.