Wisconsin governor Scott Walker has endorsed Ted Cruz, just one week before voters head to the polls for the state’s Republican primary.
Walker said that he was “proud” to support Cruz during an interview with Wisconsin conservative talk show host Charlie Sykes, an anti-Trump Republican who hosted Donald Trump on his program Monday for a combative, often critical, interview.
In a series of tweets Tuesday morning, Walker explained his decision:
After the failed Obama-Clinton Admin, Americans want leadership. I endorse @TedCruz, a principled constitutional conservative who can win.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) March 29, 2016
Like we did in WI, @TedCruz isn’t afraid to stand up to big govt special interests. He understands that power belongs to states, not Wash DC
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) March 29, 2016
.@TedCruz is the best-positioned candidate to both win the Republican nomination and defeat Hillary Clinton. I’m proud to stand with him.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) March 29, 2016
The former primary candidate, who has consistently bashed Trump, was widely expected to endorse Cruz before he made his official announcement. In a taped interview with Sykes that aired last week, Walker hinted at his coming endorsement: “If you’re someone who is uneasy with the front-runner right now, there’s really only one candidate,” he said. “Ted Cruz is the only one who’s got a chance other than Donald Trump to win the nomination statistically, and my friend Gov. [John] Kasich cannot.”
Trump, who previously called Wisconsin a “disaster” under Walker, already had a response to the expected endorsement Monday night.
I have millions more votes/hundreds more dels than Cruz or Kasich, and yet am not being treated properly by the Republican Party or the RNC.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016
While polling data is sparse for Wisconsin, Cruz seems to have nearly closed Trump’s lead in the state, according to Politico.
