Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was slated to have a rough night Tuesday as Trump was expected to sweep the primaries in five northeastern states from Pennsylvania to Rhode Island so Cruz wasted no time in his speech Tuesday night going right after Trump where it hurt him with Republican voters; comparing him to Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
Speaking before the polls closed, Cruz went so far as to joke Clinton had picked Trump for her VP.
“There has been a lot of media speculation lately about vice presidential vetting. And I have an announcement to make. A major announcement. Hillary Clinton has decided on her vice presidential nominee. Hillary has picked Donald Trump,” Cruz joked. “Hillary had a very careful vetting process that went into this.”
Cruz argued that on issues from health care to Planned Parenthood to immigration and transgender bathroom use, Clinton and Trump were not so different.
“This isn’t a matter of right or left or Democrat or Republican. This is basic common sense. That grown adult men, strangers, should not be alone in a bathroom with a little girl,” Cruz said.
Cruz is now fighting to stay competitive in the race against Trump, hoping to make up delegate ground in states like Indiana and Nebraska in upcoming primaries, but even then he will need a contested convention to ultimately wrestle the nomination from Trump.
“Tonight, this campaign moves back to favorable terrain,” Cruz said. “Tonight this campaign moves back to Indiana and Nebraska.”
Cruz also had to contend with a heckler Tuesday who shouted at him “you’re not even eligible. You are Canadian.”
Taking a swipe at the news coverage of the race, Cruz said he would stay in the race no matter what the media said.
“The media is going to say the race is over. The media is going to say Donald Trump is the nominee,” Cruz said. “Now, if you find yourself wondering why the media is so eager to have Donald as the Republican nominee, you don’t have to look any further than today’s USA Today front page. Forty percent of GOP doubt they would vote for Trump, 40 percent. …. Now, I want you to think for a second. The network executives, are they Democrats or are they Republicans?”
