Any claim that Ted Cruz is some kind of establishment candidate in the GOP contest to be the party's nominee can be put to bed with this one simple fact: Cruz has not had a single Senate colleague endorse him until now. In a place known for compromise, Cruz has made enemies by refusing to do just that, and that fact has cost him on the endorsement front.

Now WaPo reports that Senator Mike Lee of Arizona will endorse Ted Cruz in Florida, the home turf of Marco Rubio, with whom Lee is also reportedly close:

Cruz is not well-liked among his Senate co-workers, but Lee is an exception. Lee backed a Cruz-sponsored bill on domestic surveillance last year; Rubio has said during the course of the presidential campaign that the bill endangered national security, and Lee has defended Cruz.

But Cruz and Lee have broken ranks; Cruz said that a criminal justice reform bill Lee sponsored could have dire consequences and release violent offenders from prison.  

While Rubio has the endorsements of more than 20 current and former senators, Cruz, until this announcement, had only Bob Smith who sat as a senator for New Hampshire from 1990 until 2003. Donald Trump has been endorsed only by Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama and former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown.

The Freedom Center is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Therefore we do not endorse political candidates either in primary or general elections. However, as defenders of America’s social contract, we insist that the rules laid down by both parties at the outset of campaigns be respected, and that the results be decided by free elections. We will oppose any attempt to rig the system and deny voters of either party their constitutional right to elect candidates of their choice.