Senate’s Most Conservative Champion Is Set to Endorse

One of the biggest knocks on U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was that none of the other Republican senators, who work with him on a daily basis, had endorsed his candidacy.

In response, the Cruz camp often pointed out that was a byproduct of the senator’s “outsider” status. But if there was one endorsement he likely wanted more than any other, it’s probably that of U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Lee, who will be seeking a second six-year term in November, is arguably the most conservative member of the upper chamber. According to Conservative Review‘s much-vaunted Scorecard, the Utahan receives a perfect 100 percent score.

That’s three points higher than Cruz’s score, which is second-highest according to the Scorecard rankings.

“Lee has been a leader on behalf of conservative values, accruing what is as close to a perfect voting record as anyone serving in the Senate. He has rarely shrunk from a fight and has prioritized the will of his constituents over the special interest-nexus that dominates so much of Washington,” his Scorecard review states. “Many have credited him with leading a crusade against the cronyism endemic to many big government policies that other Republicans tacitly, or emphatically, support as status quo lawmaking. He has championed second amendment rights, devolving education and transportation spending to the states, as well as major reforms to federal spending and social programs.”

But if the media reports are true—and there’s a lot of reasons to believe they are—Cruz’ dream was set to come true Wednesday afternoon. The Cruz camp itself has helped feed those reports with the announcement of a “major endorsement” coming at 3 p.m. EST.

Lee’s office has neither confirmed nor denied the reports that he is the source of the endorsement.