In a Facebook post from his verified page on Friday, Ted Cruz officially endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, ending months of steadfastly withholding his support from the New York businessman.
"After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump," Cruz's post said. " ... A year ago, I pledged to endorse the Republican nominee, and I am honoring that commitment. And if you don’t want to see a Hillary Clinton presidency, I encourage you to vote for him."
An endorsement of Trump stands in stark contrast to Cruz’s political behavior since Trump clinched the Republican nomination in May. At the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July, Cruz was booed off the stage by Trump supporters after advising Republicans to “vote their conscience” and failing endorse the party's nominee.
After initially aligning themselves in pre-primary debates, their relationship devolved after Trump threatened to “spill the beans” on his wife, Heidi, after he claimed Cruz’s campaign shared a racy photo of Melania Trump in an ad targeted to Mormon voters. In addition to sharing an unflattering picture of Heidi Cruz, Trump also implied that Cruz’s father was involved in the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Read Cruz's full endorsement below.
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
