Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says the Republican presidential primary “is over” and anticipates that former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley will throw in the towel after the South Carolina primary next month.
“The simple reality is this thing is over. [Former President Donald] Trump has won the Republican nomination,” Mr. Cruz said on his “
Verdict with Ted Cruz” podcast aired on Wednesday. “My prediction right now is Nikki Haley will drop out 18 hours after the South Carolina primary.”
“Now, frankly, the rational thing for Nikki Haley to do is drop out now, and the reason is simple. She is headed to South Carolina, that is her home state. She was the governor there; she is going to get clobbered,” Mr. Cruz said, predicting that she could lose by double digits.
“It could be 30 points. And I will say when you lose your home state by that kind of crushing double-digit margin. It leaves a mark,” he added.
President Trump
secured a big win in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15. With
99 percent of votes counted, the former president won 51 percent of the vote, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 21 percent, Ms. Haley at 19 percent, and Vivek Ramaswamy at just under 8 percent.
On Jan. 23, President Trump
defeated Ms. Haley in the New Hampshire primary, becoming the
first non-incumbent Republican to win Iowa and New Hampshire. The tally with 98 percent of the votes counted showed the former president at 54.3 percent and Ms. Haley at 43.3. percent.
Despite her defeat, Ms. Haley vowed to fight on, saying that the race is “
far from over.” On Wednesday, she
held a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina. In a
post on X, formerly Twitter, she shared pictures of her rally and wrote: “It’s a great day in South Carolina! I’m glad to be home and I’m ready to get to work. Let’s do this!”
Mr. Cruz pointed out that Ms. Haley wouldn’t drop out now because “she’s got so much money.”
“The simple reality—Nikki Haley has run as an unapologetic establishment moderate,” he said. “That’s catnip to Republican donors. They are so excited. Yes, that’s what they want. They want an establishment moderate.
“I think she’s running—she has decided ‘I am the great hope for the establishment. I am the Never Trumper vision.’ And the problem is a lot of those ‘Never Trumpers’ have a ton of money. And they cannot stand Trump, and they’ll keep writing checks,” he added.
‘A 2028 Campaign’
The Texas senator also said he viewed the Haley campaign as “entirely a 2028 campaign.”“Basically, Nikki Haley is campaigning against [Virgina Gov.] Glenn Youngkin, who is going to be the moderate establishment choice for 30 percent of the primary base,” Mr. Cruz said.
“I also think every day she stays in the race, she is hurting herself for 2028,” he added. “I think the more she gets beat, the weaker she is.”
After the Republican Party lost its majority in the Virginia House of Delegates and failed to take back the state Senate in November last year, Mr. Youngkin said he
would not run for president in 2024.
Last month, Mr. Youngkin
sidestepped when asked whether he would run for the Senate in 2024. “I’m happy being governor, and I continue to plan on being governor,” he said.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) is running for reelection this year.
Mr. Cruz, who has
endorsed President Trump, said he is concerned about election outcomes in November.
“Trump is the Republican nominee. He may win November, he may not. I hope he wins. I’m supporting him. I don’t know. I think he can win. But I think he also can lose. So I’m very worried about November,” Mr. Cruz said.
The most recent South Carolina
poll by Emerson College, which surveyed 584 Republicans from Jan. 2 to Jan. 3, showed President Trump in the lead with 54 percent of support, followed by Ms. Haley with 25 percent. The poll was conducted before the GOP primary became a two-person race between President Trump and Ms. Haley.
Following President Trump’s victory in New Hampshire. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)
announced their endorsement of the former president. They also called on Republicans to unite behind President Trump.
