Sen. Lindsey Graham is jumping into the presidential election once again, announcing that he will host a fundraiser for Sen. Ted Cruz in an effort to derail Donald Trump from clinching the Republican nomination.
In an interview with CNN, Graham said that while he has condemned Cruz’s tactics and behaviors in the past, he is strategically the best alternative to stop Trump.
“He’s certainly not my preference, Sen. Cruz is not. But he is a reliable Republican conservative which I’ve had many differences with,” Graham said. “I doubt Donald Trump’s conservative and I think he’d be a disaster for the party.”
Graham will host a pro-Israel fundraiser on Monday and promised to continue rallying support among community members for Cruz.
Pressed on whether his plans count as an endorsement, Graham said he’s just supporting the candidate who is the most electable at this point in the race.
“John Kasich, I think, is the most viable general election candidate. I don’t see how John gets through the primary. This is an outsider, he’s seen as an insider,” he said.
Graham has consistently criticized Cruz, especially during the presidential election. Earlier this month he joked that his fellow senators would not mind if the Texas senator was killed off.
“If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you,” he said earlier this month at the National Press Club.
Following Jeb Bush’s suspension from the race, the candidate Graham formerly endorsed, the South Carolina senator did acknowledge that Cruz could be the only option to stop Trump. “Well it tells you a lot about where we are as a party,” he said. “I’ve had many differences with Sen. Cruz tactics and the way he’s behaved in the Senate, but I do believe he would be a more reliable partner for Israel.” Graham ended his presidential campaign last December. This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.Recommended
Kelly O'Donnell
Marianna Sotomayor