Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters on Monday that the establishment’s idea to “parachute in some white knight” other than himself or Donald Trump is nothing but a “fevered pipe dream” that would cause a “revolt.”
Before a Fox News town hall event with Megyn Kelly in Madison, WI, Cruz declared that such an event “ain’t gonna happen. If it did the people would quite rightly revolt.” The event will air Monday evening just hours before Wisconsin Republicans make their choice in the primary nominating contest.
"The people would quite rightly revolt" — Ted Cruz on outcome if GOP convention picks someone besides him or Trump https://t.co/8I6pns6WId
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) April 4, 2016
Trump has been criticized in the past for similar comments. In mid-March Trump predicted during a CNN interview that if he is close to the magic 1,237 delegate nomination-clinching threshold, but just shy of it — while other candidates are further behind — and he is denied the nomination, “I think you’d have riots.”
Cruz responded to Trump’s “riots” commentary saying, “No one should be surprised that Donald Trump is trying to stir up riots. I wish we had a presidential candidate that was bringing us together instead of encouraging such things.”
During the Breitbart News Saturday radio program, pollster and Ted Cruz Super PAC president Kellyanne Conway told SiriusXM Patriot listeners:
Trump and Cruz people are really locked in arms as one on that major question which is, will [the Republican establishment] subvert the entire will of the people, and just parachute in, slide in somebody who has not been part of this process at all, who didn’t even run, or, Plan B of course Matt is slide in somebody who ran and was soundly rejected by the voters and has since left the race.
On Sunday night Cruz held a town hall in Eau Claire:
.@tedcruz taking the stage in EAU Claire #WI w/ @senmikelee @CarlyFiorina @ScottWalker #CruzToVictory #CruzCrew pic.twitter.com/Rl7rGmeh6a
— bruce redden (@brucereddenjr) April 4, 2016
Scott Walker posted:
Awesome crowd in Eau Claire tonight to rally @tedcruz to a Wisconsin victory on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/kF8Z4miOpl
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) April 4, 2016
During that event, Cruz declared, “Nominating Donald is a gift-wrapped present to Hillary Clinton and the Democrats.”
.@TedCruz reiterates in Eau Claire: "Nominating Donald is a gift-wrapped present to Hillary Clinton and the Democrats."
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) April 4, 2016
Republican strategist Sarah Isgur Flores quoted Cruz as saying, “This election is about restoring possibilities for every American.”
"This election is about restoring possibilities for every American." @CarlyFiorina w @tedcruz in Eau Claire, WI pic.twitter.com/mwytjZKXYt
— Sarah Isgur Flores (@whignewtons) April 4, 2016
If at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland a 2012 convention rule is upheld that any candidate up for the nomination must have won eight states, then Trump and Cruz would be the only qualified candidates at this point in the race.
Concern has arisen among Republicans that the establishment would try to pull off a “white knight” situation in which someone like failed 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney or his former running mate House Speaker Paul Ryan would be put up for and win the 2016 Republican nomination. Both Trump and Cruz have pushed back against this possibility now, citing the potential of “riots” or “revolt” if the establishment makes such a push.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
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