Monday, March 7, 2016
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
Republican leaders on Sunday grappled with the prospect that the best hope for stopping Donald Trump’s march to the nomination may be Ted Cruz – the only candidate who causes as much heartburn among party elites as the billionaire businessman, if not more.
The Texas senator split contests with Trump in Saturday’s voting, bolstering his argument that only he can defeat the real-estate mogul. Trump and Cruz are now significantly outpacing Marco Rubio in the delegate count, further shrinking the Florida senator’s already narrow path to the nomination.
If Rubio’s slide continues, he would be the latest establishment candidate to fall victim to an angry, frustrated electorate that cares little about endorsements from party leaders or newspaper editorial boards. Rubio has rolled out both at warp speed in recent weeks, but his appeal with voters is not keeping pace.
Rubio did pick up a victory Sunday in Puerto Rico’s primary, his second win of the 2016 cycle. He will collect all 23 of Puerto Rico’s delegates after posting a huge win in the U.S. territory. But he still lags far behind Trump and Cruz.
The wary interest in Cruz from more mainstream Republicans is the latest unexpected twist in a GOP race where talk of a contested convention or third-party candidate is becoming commonplace.
“If Ted’s the alternative to Trump, he’s at least a Republican and conservative,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said. While Graham made sure to note that it’s “not like I prefer Ted Cruz,” he encouraged Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to “decide among themselves” whether they can be a realistic alternative to Trump.
Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, said Cruz is indeed “emerging” as the chief anti-Trump candidate.
“I think a lot of people were surprised by how well Ted Cruz did,” said Romney, who has thrust himself back into the political discussion with a searing takedown of Trump in a speech last week.
Romney has stepped back into the spotlight at a moment of crisis and chaos for the Republican Party. Leaders in Washington who assumed hard-liners such as Cruz represented a minority view have been left wondering if they’re the ones out of step with voters.
For months, GOP elites have lumped Trump and Cruz together, arguing that neither could win in November’s general election. Cruz is an uncompromising conservative who has publicly criticized party leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Cruz has built a loyal following among conservatives and evangelical Christians, and has proved to be a fundraising powerhouse during the 2016 campaign.