Last week, Bob Dole explained why the establishment should prefer Donald Trump to Sen. Ted Cruz. Dole claimed Trump is someone with whom the Establishment can make a deal. Cruz responded by saying, “So if as a voter you think what we need is more Republicans in Washington to cut a deal with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer, then I guess Donald Trump’s your guy.” Cruz went on to say, “The Establishment is abandoning Sen. Marco Rubio — I think they’ve made the determination that Marco can’t win, and they’re rushing to support Donald Trump.” The Cruz response according to CNN continues the effort to define himself as the principled Conservative and Trump as an enabler of compromise.
It’s Trump versus Cruz again
While Trump’s candidacy has from the start faced a barrage of criticism from the political and consultant classes in Washington, several establishment Republicans have said lately that they would sooner back Trump than Cruz. Meanwhile, as some Establishment Republicans do prefer Trump to Cruz, others see the billionaire as the more dangerous candidate.