For some strange reason, Ted Cruz—that firebrand tea party guy who made his name for himself by repeated trashing all of his colleagues and giving all congressional Republicans a black eye by goading the House maniacs into a government shutdown—is not having much luck lining up support from Senate Republicans.
Cruz has been reaching out both by phone and in person to make appeals to senators. He spoke directly with Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) when he was in Colorado last weekend and talked on the telephone with freshman South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott last week. He's also dispatched his only two Senate supporters so far Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and onetime adversary Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to make appeals on the Hill in his stead. […]
[…] Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who originally had backed Rubio, said he was approached by Lee about if he was thinking about endorsing Cruz. His answer? "Nope." [...]
"It's pretty tough to just let bygones be bygones when the person who is asking you for your endorsement is a person that's labeled you as the problem with Washington," said Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN). "He is trying to have it both ways and I don't think he can have it both ways."
What about Mitch McConnell, the guy Cruz called a liar on the Senate floor, which is Just. Not. Done. No comment from the majority leader on what he'd be doing if Cruz becomes the nominee, and since Cruz has emphatically refused to provide an apology to McConnell, he probably isn't expecting much backing from that corner.
It's almost enough to make one hope Cruz gets the nomination, just to watch McConnell and his crew squirm.