Jim Walsh

@jimwalsh_cp

HADDON HEIGHTS - Heidi Cruz won't be coming to Haddon Heights — at least not this week.

The wife of Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz had been scheduled to appear Wednesday at a rally and fundraiser in the Camden County borough. But the Cruz campaign announced Monday morning it had canceled the noon event at The Cabin on Lippincott Lane.

"This event is being postponed to the very near future due to a campaign scheduling conflict," said Steve Lonegan, New Jersey State Chairman for Cruz for President.

"A new date will be announced shortly," Lonegan said in a statement.

RELATED: Heidi Cruz to appear in South Jersey

Cruz is currently campaigning in Wisconsin in advance of a April 5 primary there.

New Jersey's primary election will take place June 7. The Garden State contest, usually an afterthought in the nominating process, could be more meaningful this year due to the protracted fight between Cruz and his chief foe, Donald Trump.

The Haddon Heights event had been announced against the backdrop of a "wife war" between Cruz and Trump.

The dispute began when a Super PAC ran an ad with a nude photograph of Trump's wife, Melania, a former model, before the March 22 GOP caucuses in deeply conservative Utah. Trump accused Cruz of being behind the ad, although the anti-Trump Super PAC, Make America Awesome, has no affiliation with the U.S. senator from Texas.

In a tweet responding to the ad, Trump said, "Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!"

The New York businessman also retweeted an image, created by a supporter, that contrasted a glamour shot of Melania Trump with an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz.

Cruz then blamed Trump and his "henchmen" when the National Enquirer alleged last week that the senator was rumored to have engaged in five extramarital affairs. Trump denied any involvement with the Enquirer story.

Jim Walsh; (856) 486-2646; jwalsh@gannettnj.com