While stopping short of outright telling his rivals to drop out of the race, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Saturday urged them to consider their chances of beating Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination.
"I think every candidate has to assess his path to 1,237 delegates," Cruz told reporters in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. "At this point we've had a lot of primaries, and if you're not able to win primaries, if your not amassing delegates to get the nominee, I think every candidate has to reflect and say do they have a path."
The only method of defeating Trump is to unite, Cruz said, noting that he is the only candidate who has defeated him in multiple primaries and caucuses already.
Trump has a floor of support of 20 percent to 25 percent and a ceiling of 35 percent to 40 percent, Cruz said, and has benefited from having a large field splitting his oppostion.
"If we get head-to-head," he said, "I beat Donald Trump. … It has to be head-to-head. If it's not, then the other candidates are increasing the likelihood that Donald Trump becomes the nominee."
While every candidate wants to win, he said, "if you haven't amassed enough delegates to have a credible shot at being the nominee, I think it is incumbent on each candidate to assess is there a reasonable, is there a viable path."
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are running for love of country, he said, but if they can't win their supporters should unite behind him, Cruz said.
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