Sen. Ted Cruz sidestepped an indirect critique from fellow Texan and former Gov. Rick Perry Sunday, complimenting Mr. Perry for his tenure as the state’s chief executive.

“Listen, I like Rick Perry. He was a good governor in the state of Texas. He’s a friend of mine. People occasionally throw rocks in politics. That’s his choice. I’m going say I think he did a good and effective job as governor of our state,” Mr. Cruz said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Without mentioning Mr. Cruz by name, Mr. Perry downplayed Senate experience in a recent interview with the Texas Tribune and The Washington Post.

“It’s one of the selling points, if you will, to the American people as they decide who’s going to follow Barack Obama,” Mr. Perry said when asked what separates him from Mr. Cruz. “I think they’re going to make a rather radical shift, away from a young, untested United States senator whose policies have really failed.”

Mr. Cruz also said he’s looking “very, very seriously” at running for president.

“I think this next election, 2016, is going to be a fundamental fork in the road,” Mr. Cruz said. “And I believe the American people are looking for a new path. They want to get back to the free market principles and constitutional liberties that were part of the foundation of this country. And so it’s something that I’m looking at very seriously. And I’ll tell you, the support we’re seeing both on the grassroots level and also among the donors has been extraordinary, really has been encouraging.”

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