Could the Establishment Finally Be Warming up to Cruz … Jeb Bush Endorses Ted Cruz

Politics really does make strange bed fellows … Or, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush endorses Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. However, is the endorsement too late and will it even matter in the long run? In fact, could it hurt Cruz? Red State opines it could be the kiss of death. What it does show is the continued efforts of the establishment to prevent Donald Trump from being the GOP’s presidential nominee. Jeb Bush has been extremely outspoken about Trump’s “divisiveness and vulgarity.” Is it just possible that the establishment would is warming up to Cruz and would rather have the Texas senator as president as compared to Trump? Many pundits had thought just the opposite as Ted Cruz as been a principled conservative in the US Senate and a thorn in the side of establishment republican politics.

In a surprise announcement, Jeb Bush will endorse Ted Cruz on Wednesday as an antidote to the “divisiveness and vulgarity” of Donald Trump, providing a badly needed boost to the Texas senator – but it’s one that comes dangerously late in a game that Trump is dominating.

Cruz, in New York City on Wednesday, planned to celebrate with a victory lap of three network morning shows. The endorsement comes 32 days after a beaten Bush dropped out of the GOP presidential race, and eight days since Sen. Marco Rubio abandoned his own quest after being rebuffed by Bush, his fellow Floridian and one-time mentor.

Bush says in a statement to be released by the Cruz campaign: “Ted is a consistent, principled conservative who has demonstrated the ability to appeal to voters and win primary contests.”

“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, or we will certainly lose our chance to defeat the Democratic nominee and reverse President Obama’s failed policies,” the statement continues.

The news will surely irk Rubio, who could have benefited greatly from Bush’s embrace. But a Republican source said: “Jeb came to believe Marco was not up to the job of being President. It was never really under serious discussion.” POLITICO reported on Monday that Rubio had rejected the idea of joining a “unity ticket” with Cruz.

Bush and Cruz sealed the endorsement agreement with a phone call on Monday. “They have kept in touch over the last few weeks and Senator Cruz has been diligent about keeping Governor Bush up to date on his campaign,” a source close to Bush said.