The Republican establishment is freaking out about Donald Trump. Ted Cruz is the one candidate positioned to, if not beat Trump, at least deny him the delegates he needs to be the Republican nominee. Yet the Republican establishment isn’t rallying behind Cruz. Hmmm.
Yes, a few prominent names like Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush have endorsed Cruz, but they’re more the exception than the rule. It’s particularly noteworthy that few of the Republicans who work most closely with Cruz—the ones in the Senate—have endorsed him. Even fear of Trump, it seems, can’t overcome Cruz’s noxious personality.
“They’re afraid of Trump’s voters and they hate Cruz,” explained SenatorLindsey Graham, who has tried to rally his colleagues behind Mr. Cruz. “But if I can swallow my pride, they can, too.”
Apparently the pride-swallowing is a slow business, and Cruz isn’t doing much to hasten it along:
Senator John Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican senator and Mr. Cruz’s fellow Texan, privately lobbied Mr. Cruz to attend a Senate Republican luncheon in the Capitol and soothe feelings, according to a Republican strategist briefed on the request. But after a CNN report in which some Republican senators suggested that Mr. Cruz apologize to the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, whom Mr. Cruz called a liar on the Senate floor, Mr. Cruz’s campaign became irritated and backed off a peacemaking lunch. [...]
“I’m not sure there’s anything to apologize for,” Jason Johnson, Mr. Cruz’s chief strategist, told reporters recently.
Cruz also isn’t reaching out to senators in states holding their primaries soon, so it seems he’s not too concerned about his party’s lack of support for him. He has an outsider image to maintain, after all. (But he’s also just an asshole.)