Ted Cruz Committed Political Suicide on Day 3 of the 2016 RNC

One of the most important goals for both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions is to come out appearing as a united front. Even before the 2016 RNC started, there was a DumpTrump movement trying to change the rules in order to unbind the delegates. However, that movement was not successful and Donald Trump was officially voted in as the 2016 Republican presidential nominee. Even though Trump won the nomination, Ted Cruz sparked an outcry with his speech last Wednesday night because of his decision to not endorse Trump.

But how exactly does choosing to not endorse Trump warrant political suicide? Part of the problem came from Cruz's statement that, as The New York Times reports, "Republicans should 'vote your conscience' for candidates 'up and down the ticket.'" Read that article here. By making that statement, Cruz chose not to endorse Trump for his 2016 presidential campaign. Donald Trump, Chris Christie, and the majority of the GOP booed Cruz once they realized this because earlier this year, Cruz had pledged to support whomever the Republican nominee would turn out to be. CNN reports that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that Cruz's refusal to endorse Trump "was something selfish. And he signed a pledge. And it's his job to keep his word.'" To stress the repercussions of Cruz's decision even more, CNN also writes that "Trump lawyer Michael Cohen said...that 'the only way to describe it is political suicide.'" Read that article here. While I understand Ted Cruz's decision to not hop on the Trump train, it was not a smart political move.

Photo by Gage Skidmore (Creative Commons license)

While Cruz will not be in the running for the 2016 presidential race, The New York Times (same article as above) reports that "Mr. Cruz is up for re-election in 2018 and is said to be looking at a second campaign for president in 2020, should Mr. Trump lose in November." However, Cruz's speech has made him an outsider in the GOP and is sparking an outcry from his donors, whom he needs to keep around to help benefit his career. In addition, The New York Times writes that "Robert Mercer and daughter Rebekah Mercer..., who invested at least $11 million in "Keep the Promise, I", one of a group of interlocked "super PACs" that supported Mr. Cruz in his presidential run..., excoriated Mr. Cruz on Saturday for his decision not to endorse Donald J. Trump." To make matters worse, "the next morning Cruz was booed by members of the Texas delegation at a breakfast."

Although rivals in the primaries Cruz, like Bernie did with Hillary, should have endorsed Donald Trump. Cruz stood his ground and took a risk, but I do not believe it was a smart decision. He needs to understand that he is a part of the GOP and if the majority of the delegates are for Trump, then so is he. Trump might not even win and if he does, he can only be President for a limited time. So readers, follow Cruz's future career because his choice to not endorse Trump has the potential to cost him an election.