Cruz backs Trump after bitter primary

Ted Cruz swallowed his pride and accepted political reality Friday, announcing on Facebook that he will vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Nov. 8.

Cruz stopped short of offering a full-throated endorsement. By releasing a written statement Friday afternoon he was able to parse the issue more than if he had made his announcement at a Saturday speaking engagement scheduled in his home state of Texas.

But Cruz’s 733-word Facebook post is primarily relevant to the Republican senator’s reelection campaign in 2018 and to his second run for the presidency that many expect him to launch in 2020.

The crucial context, of course, is Cruz’s controversial speech at the Republican convention in July, when he pointedly avoided endorsing Trump and was roundly booed by many of the delegates on the floor.

Cruz and his political operation were caught off guard by the intensity of the backlash, and in August, a poll showed Cruz would lose his Senate seat to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry if the election were held at that time.

“The pressure Cruz faced was real. It was severe. People smelled blood in the water and they piled on,” said one Texas Republican operative who is not in the Cruz camp. “Anybody who’s looking at challenging him or wants to maybe run for president, they want to make sure Ted is not seen as a standard bearer of the party. They want to be on top of the Republican Party in Texas and nationally.”

Trump issued a statement saying he was “greatly honored” by the endorsement. “We have fought the battle and he was a tough and brilliant opponent. I look forward to working with him for many years to come in order to make America great again,” the mogul continued.

Cruz will continue to come under assault from his many adversaries — including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — for the foreseeable future, the Texas operative said.

“The Mitch McConnells of the world are probably chomping at the bit now. Now is the time to put the knife in his back and finish the job,” the operative said.

Cruz went out of his way in his statement Friday to repair some of the damage.

His use of the word “conscience” was what set off a revolt against him on the convention floor in Cleveland. It was interpreted then as a clear signal by Cruz that Republicans should vote against Trump.

Cruz quoted from that part of his speech at the very beginning of his Facebook post, and then made the argument that his conscience now compels him to vote for Trump.

“After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump,” Cruz wrote.

He went on to list six reasons why he would oppose Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton: Supreme Court nominations, Trump’s promise to sign legislation repealing Obamacare, energy policy, immigration policy, national security and Internet policy.

Cruz returned, after this, to his theme of conscience. “If Clinton wins, we know — with 100% certainty — that she would deliver on her left-wing promises, with devastating results for our country. My conscience tells me I must do whatever I can to stop that,” he wrote.

He also stressed to voters that he was upholding his promise to support the Republican nominee.

“A year ago, I pledged to endorse the Republican nominee, and I am honoring that commitment,” Cruz said.

Of course, Cruz said the day after his speech at the convention — while fielding questions from angry members of the Texas delegation — that his pledge had been “abrogated” by Trump’s slander of his father, giving credence to a ridiculous conspiracy theory about his father’s supposed connections with Lee Harvey Oswald, and by Trump’s personal insults of his wife Heidi’s physical appearance.

“That pledge was not a blanket commitment that if you go slander and attack Heidi, then I’m not going to nonetheless come like a servile puppy dog and say thank you very much for maligning my wife and maligning my father,” Cruz told the Texas delegation.

Cruz was forced by the political reality of his fallen standing among Republican voters to get over his personal anger at Trump’s treatment of him and his family, and to offer support for Trump, no matter how tepid.

Cruz did hold out the possibility that a Trump presidency would require opposition from Republicans and Democrats.

“If the next administration fails to honor the Constitution and Bill of Rights, then I hope that Republicans and Democrats will stand united in protecting our fundamental liberties,” Cruz wrote.

As a top Republican National Committee official told me in Cleveland, “If Trump wins, you better bet your ass Cruz is going to primary him.”

But even if he does, he will need the support of the many Republican voters who have concluded that Cruz’s speech in Cleveland was a black spot on his record and his character. That was the goal of his move Friday.