Texas Sen. Ted Cruz magnified the importance of his home state to the GOP nominating process and urged his constituents to avoid “PT Barnum” in a not-so-subtle shot at Donald Trump.
Cruz stood by Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, who endorsed the senator’s campaign in Houston on Wednesday, as he made his case to be the Lone Star State’s top choice. “Texas has 155 delegates. It is the crown jewel of Super Tuesday. Texas has alone almost 15 percent of the delegates you need to be the Republican nominee,” Cruz said. “And as the men and women know here, Texas has a history of standing and leading the fight. When it comes to our freedom we are not a people who gives away our freedom quietly. We are not a people who are impressed by a lot of blustery rhetoric that’s not backed up by truth.”Cruz also appeared to step up his anti-Donald Trump rhetoric, although the senator did not utter Trump’s name.”We can’t get this wrong. We can’t be fooled by P.T. Barnum,” Cruz said to loud applause. “The time for the clowns and the acrobats and the dancing bears has passed. Now is the time for Texans to stand together.”Cruz campaign surrogates have predicted victory in Texas and described it as a ‘must-win‘ before walking such claims back somewhat. Texans will vote on March 1.
