Mark Kauzlarich / Reuters
WASHINGTON — Two months after withholding his endorsement from Donald Trump at the Republican convention, Ted Cruz is set to support the nominee soon, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.
Cruz will announce some kind of support of Trump sometime on Friday or Saturday, the source said. It is unclear at this stage whether Cruz will fully endorse Trump or just announce that he will vote for him, and what form the announcement will take.
Cruz, who was the last man standing against Trump in the primaries, has been one of the longest-lasting holdouts among top Republican officials to refuse to endorse his party's nominee. Cruz was under pressure to do so at the convention in Cleveland, but refused, instead encouraging the audience to "vote your conscience" in November and offering a broad defense of conservatism.
The backlash to Cruz's speech was swift and severe. The day after, Cruz had a contentious visit with members of the Texas delegation to the convention, many of whom were angry with his choice. And in the time since, Cruz's favorability numbers have taken a hit in Texas, where he is up for re-election for his Senate seat in 2018 and where he might be challenged in a primary by Rep. Michael McCaul.
During the primary, Trump attacked Cruz's wife and father, and Cruz eventually called Trump a "pathological liar" and "amoral."
Not every member of Cruz's inner circle appeared aware of the move on Friday. One person who worked on Cruz's campaign, when asked if the endorsement was coming on Friday, responded, "I certainly hope not."
Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe has said since the convention speech that the door to an endorsement was still open, and hinted that an endorsement could come soon on Thursday, saying Cruz thinks about endorsing Trump "every day."
A spokesperson for Cruz did not immediately return a request for comment.
Source BuzzFeed - Politics http://ift.tt/2czoUUC
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