Stop-Trump forces looking to Cruz
Republican WASHINGTON— 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.
Bernie Sanders won the Democratic presidential caucuses in Maine, beating rival Hillary Clinton for his eighth win in the nomination process.
With 25 Maine delegates at stake, Sanders is assured of winning at least 14 while Clinton stands to gain at least six.
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.