US senator Ted Cruz says he might resume campaign, refuses to back Trump

Washington: US Senator Ted Cruz has said he is not ready to support Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump and indicated that he might resume his campaign if there is a path to clinching his party’s nomination for the White House, despite having dropped out of the race last week.

“Listen, we’ve suspended the campaign because I can see no viable path to victory. Of course if that changed we would reconsider things,” Cruz, 45, told reporters at the Capitol Hill, his first day at the Senate after he suspended his presidential campaign after losing Indiana primary.

But let’s be clear, we’re not going to win Nebraska today. There should be no mystery, no excitement in that. We’ve withdrawn from the campaign and it’s in the hands of the voters. If circumstances change, we’ll always assess changed circumstances, but I appreciate the eagerness and excitement of all the folks in the media to see me back in the ring. But you may have to wait a little bit longer,” Cruz said.

Cruz said that he is not yet ready to endorse Trump, 69. At the start of the campaign, he had pledged to support the party’s presidential nominee.
“This is a choice every voter is going to have to make. I would note, it’s not a choice we as voters have to make today,” he added.

Till Tuesday, Cruz had 564 delegates as against Trump’s 1,071. To become a Republican presidential nominee, Trump, needs 1,237 delegates, which he is all set to achieve now that two of his last remaining presidential opponents — Cruz and John Kasich — have withdrawn from the White House race.

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The Texas Senator, however, ruled out a third-party bid for the presidency.
“I am certainly disappointed with the outcome, that I disappointed so many millions of grassroots activists across this country. If you want to know my greatest disappointment, my greatest disappointment is that I wasn’t able to win for them. That I came up short and disappointed their efforts, their time, their passion.

“That passion is going to continue, the conservative movement, I believe, will only continue to get stronger. I believe the American people are fed up with the disasters of the Obama-Clinton economy. This movement will continue. I will continue to press in the Senate the very same things I pressed for on the campaign trail,” Cruz said.