Ever since they became the two leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination last fall, there was speculation that perhaps U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and businessman Donald Trump could form an anti-establishment “dream team” for the November general election.
Just hours before the first returns came in, proving that polls were right the GOP front-runner would have another big night, the Texas senator put any talk of a Trump-Cruz ticket to bed. Appearing on the nationally syndicated “Hugh Hewitt Show,” Cruz said he had “zero interest” in being Trump’s running mate.
“Donald Trump loses to Hillary, and the answer, as you know, Hugh, a lot of folks in the Washington establishment, they’re having fevered dreams right now of wanting a brokered convention,” he said. “We’re going to beat Donald Trump. We’re going to beat him for 1,237 delegates. If you want to beat him, you’ve got to beat him at the ballot box. And the only candidate that can do so is us.”
On the off chance that Cruz doesn’t get to 1,237 delegates before the national convention, Hewitt then asked if it would be appropriate for him to take the nomination if Trump had more delegates, but fewer than the majority needed to win. The senator then explained the difference between a brokered convention and a contested convention.
“A brokered convention is the convention is deadlocked, and the Washington dealmakers parachute in their white horse salvation who wasn’t on the ballot, who the people never selected, and yeah, we get the establishment choice,” he said. “I think if they tried that, it would be an absolute catastrophe. The people would revolt, and quite rightly.
“That’s very different from a contested convention. As you know, we had one in ’76 between Reagan and Ford. Look, I believe we’re going to beat Donald Trump, and I’m going to get 1,237 delegates. But the other option is that we go into the convention, and I don’t have 1,237 delegates, and Donald doesn’t have 1,237 delegates, in which case I think he and I will both have a ton of delegates, and we’ll be neck and neck.
“I don’t know who will be on top. But if we don’t get to 1,237, we could easily be on top, or we’ll be neck and neck. And then, you actually have the convention, the delegates decide between the candidates that have gotten a whole bunch of delegates. That’s actually the democratic process working the way it’s supposed to. And I think there, then it becomes a decision for the delegates.”
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