WASHINGTON — Ted Cruz said Friday he will vote for Donald Trump in the November election.
"This election is unlike any other in our nation’s history. Like many other voters, I have struggled to determine the right course of action in this general election," Cruz posted on Facebook. "After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump."
Iowa talk show host Steve Deace, a Cruz supporter, said on Twitter that he fears that Cruz support of the GOP nominee, and he called it a major mistake. "I think it's the worst political miscalculation of my lifetime," Deace wrote in one of a series of tweets. "I hope I am wrong. The people will decide that."
Cruz said he made the decision because he promised to support the Republican nominee and he could never support Hillary Clinton.
"Even though I have had areas of significant disagreement with our nominee, by any measure Hillary Clinton is wholly unacceptable — that’s why I have always been #NeverHillary," Cruz said.
The announcement is the latest twist in a contentious relationship between Trump and Cruz, his closest competitor in the Republican nomination race. In a speech at the Republican convention in July, Cruz pointedly refused to endorse the GOP nominee, drawing boos from the pro-Trump crowd.
During the campaign, Trump habitually referred to his rival as "Lyin' Ted." Since Cruz's convention speech, Trump has threatened to back a primary challenger to Cruz when he comes up for re-election in Texas in 2018.
The New York businessman also criticized the looks of Cruz's wife, Heidi. He also suggested that Cruz's father was somehow involved in the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy — items Cruz himself cited in explaining to supporters why he did not endorse Trump at the convention.
Two other former GOP presidential candidates, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have refused to endorse Trump.
Many Republicans, including those sympathetic to Cruz, expressed incredulity at his announcement.
Atlanta-based talk show host Erick Erickson said a Cruz endorsement at this point "plays to the caricature that he is self-interested, not really principled. Hate it for him."
Read Cruz's entire Facebook post: