Scott Walker endorses ex-rival Cruz for president

With a week to go until Wisconsin’s key Republican primary, Gov. Scott Walker endorsed Ted Cruz for president on Tuesday.

“I just fundamentally believe that he is a constitutional conservative,” Walker said in an interview with conservative radio host Charlie Sykes, who also supports the Texas senator, on Wisconsin’s WTMJ.

Walker, who rose to national fame after battles with unions and an unsuccessful recall attempt, had sought the 2016 nomination himself and was once a favorite to win Iowa but dropped out of the race in September with parting shots at front-runner Donald Trump.

Walker said Tuesday he was not endorsing Cruz just to stop Trump but also because he believes in Cruz, who has been consolidating anti-Trump support from various points on the spectrum of GOP philosophies.

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“Ted Cruz is in the best position by far to both win the nomination of the Republican Party and to then go on and beat Hillary Clinton,” he said.

Wisconsin is home to several key Republican establishment figures besides Walker, most notably Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and House Speaker Paul Ryan, whose hometown Trump was scheduled to visit on Tuesday.

All three remaining Republican candidates are making multiple appearances in the state, with Trump looking to widen his lead, Cruz hoping to continue consolidating support from those opposed to Trump, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich seeking momentum from another Midwest win after capturing his home state.