Cruz Still Won't Endorse Trump, Says Focus Is Defeating Clinton

Sen. Ted Cruz did not endorse Donald Trump for president, but said that his focus is on defeating the Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.

The Texas Republican made the comments to CNN reporter Manu Raju, who tweeted:

Cruz won't say if he'll endorse Trump but says: "My focus is on defeating Hillary Clinton and helping preserve a Senate Republican majority"

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 20, 2016

The reporter asked Cruz about Republican National Committee leader Reince Priebus' statement that those who refused to back the presidential candidate "need to get on board" and "if they're thinking they're going to run again someday… I don't think it's going to be that easy for them."

Raju tweeted Cruz's response:

Just asked CRUZ about PRIEBUS threat: "The last thing we need to be worrying about is bickering between Republicans," he said.

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 20, 2016

Trump and Cruz had a contentious relationship during the Republican primaries, including a March incident in which Trump threatened to "spill the beans" about Cruz's wife Heidi.

Cruz's refusal to endorse Trump happened at the Republican National Convention in July, after Trump defeated Cruz for the Republican presidential nomination. Cruz called on voters to "vote your conscience" during his speech.

The Texas Republican has been encouraging conservatives to vote, saying at a tea party rally that a Democratic majority in the Senate would be a "bad, bad thing for our nation."

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