Ohio Gov. John Kasich is "probably more electable," but Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has run a better campaign and is the "primary alternative" when it comes to defeating Donald Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Friday.
"He is a real Republican from the more ideological spectrum than I am, but he would not destroy our party," the South Carolina GOP senator, who dropped his own presidential bid in December,
told the "CBS This Morning" program, while acknowledging that he and Cruz have had "some real differences."
His endorsement of Cruz took many by surprise — Graham once joked that choosing between Cruz and Trump was like
choosing between getting "shot or poisoned," but on Friday said that if he can back Cruz, "anybody can do it."
And while Kasich may be more likeable than Cruz to many people, Cruz still represents the party's outside movement, which is important, Graham said.
"When you add up the votes, 65 percent of Republicans are wanting someone outside the system, so Ted is in it but he's also an outsider," Graham said of the Texas senator.
Graham said he also believes there will be a 4-1 chance of a contested GOP convention in July, but does not want the party to bring in an outside nominee such as House Speaker Paul Ryan.
"I'm trying to get us the most viable nominee for 2016 that could win without destroying the party," Graham told the program. "The bottom line is millions of people have gone to the polls and cast their ballot, and if 2,000 of us take that choice away, then I think we destroy the Republican party forever."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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