Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is betting big on California.
The senator told KNX 1070 in Los Angeles that he believes the California primary may determine who becomes the next GOP presidential nominee.
“I think this entire primary could easily come down to the California primary, 172 delegates being awarded here,” Cruz said. “The polling is consistently showing us either in first place or tied neck-and-neck with Donald Trump here in California, and this is a two person race.
“There are only two candidates that have any plausible path to winning the Republican nomination — me or Donald Trump. And what we are seeing happening, Diane, both in California and across the country, is that 65-70 percent of Republicans recognize that nominating Donald Trump would be a train-wreck.”
Polling of California has been scant thus far, but recent polling suggests the double-digit percentage point lead Trump held earlier this month has been eliminated. Cruz trailed Trump by one percentage point in a poll released by the Los Angeles Times earlier this week.
California’s primary will take place on June 7, but the Texas senator is hoping for a strong showing there and began his visit to the state on Wednesday. He will campaign in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and North Dakota later this week.
