Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) endorsed onetime opponent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Tuesday for the GOP presidential nomination, one week ahead of the primary in his state.
"I just fundamentally believe if you look at the facts, you look at the numbers, that Ted Cruz is in the best position by far to both win the nomination of the Republican Party and then go on and defeat Hillary Clinton in the fall of this year," Walker said on Newsradio WTMJ, a Wisconsin station, referring to the current Democratic front-runner.
"The key is we want people who are principled common-sense conservatives, who are people who do what they say, who stick to their guns but also people who can both win the nomination and go on to defeat Hillary Clinton in the fall," he continued.
Walker said he is "all in" and will campaign with Cruz ahead of the primary. Recent polling on the contest shows the Texas senator and GOP nationwide front-runner Donald Trump are in a tight race.
He insisted his endorsement isn't just about defeating Trump and repeatedly said he chose Cruz based on his credentials, such as his "excellent" tax policy, plans to expand the military and willingness to buck the party.
"I wanted to make sure that I was supporting someone, I wasn't against something or against someone but rather being for something," he said. "After a lot of time looking at speeches, looking at the records, looking at what the candidates not only say but what they've done in the past, it was an easy call for me to support Ted Cruz."
Walker dropped out of the presidential race in September, after struggling to maintain funding for his sinking campaign. At the time, he encouraged opponents to drop out of the race as well "so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive, conservative alternative to the current front-runner," a reference to Trump.
In endorsing Cruz, Walker passed over Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is trailing Trump and Cruz in delegates. Both are seeking to prevent Trump from getting to the 1,237 delegates he needs to lock up the Republican nomination at the party's convention this summer.
Walker said he thinks Cruz will win in Wisconsin, which will put him "firmly in the path" to get the delegates needed to win the nomination.
Before You Go
