Mike Lee: ‘It’s Time for Conservatives to Get Behind Ted Cruz’
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) stood in front of a gaggle of news cameras in the “spin room” for Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate with only one objective: to talk about his friend, Ted Cruz.
And even though the press tried to bait him into attacks on the other GOP presidential contenders, Lee would have none of it. His message was clear: It’s time for conservatives to rally behind Cruz and push him on to victory.
“Ted Cruz has been a tireless defender of the Constitution and the founding principles that have made this the greatest country the world has ever known,” Lee said. “Ted is a leader with a proven record of fighting for our conservative values and for the issues that matter most to Americans. He has shown time and again that he is willing to stand up to Washington.”
Lee did take a few questions, including one from the Spanish-language network Telemundo, which he answered in Spanish. In those follow-ups, he mentioned his friendship with Marco Rubio, and also said he had not had enough of his questions answered about Donald Trump to know if he could support the Republican front-runner.
But time and again, he returned to his message.
“Ted is an authentic fighter who will ensure that poverty is temporary instead of tolerable, that hardworking families will have real opportunities to rise and he will put an end to the special perks and privileges for the wealthy and well-connected,” he said. “America deserves a president who is principled, positive and proven—I believe that describes Ted Cruz and why I am proud to endorse him for president of the United States.”
Lee and Cruz have a lot in common. Both are former Supreme Court clerks. And while Cruz became Solicitor General of Texas, Lee served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in his home state. Together, they are the two most conservative Senate Republicans.
“I couldn’t be more humbled by Mike’s endorsement,” Cruz said. “He has been a tremendous friend, and I am deeply honored by his support. No one has fought harder to restore the rule of law, end cronyism and level the playing field for millions of Americans. Mike is a brilliant policy entrepreneur who has been a driving force in promoting conservative reforms to lift people out of poverty, make education more affordable and fix our tax system. I am privileged to have his support and look forward to having his help coalescing conservatives around our campaign.”
