Ted Cruz: 'We lose our country' if Donald Trump is GOP nominee



Here are 15 things you may not have known about Ted Cruz. (Andrew Spear/The New York Times) less Sen. Ted Cruz holds up a copy of USA Today to illustrate a point about what he said was biased media coverage during a campaign rally in Knightstown, Ind., April 26, 2016.

Here are 15 things you may not have ... more Sen. Ted Cruz holds up a copy of USA Today to illustrate a point about what he said was biased media coverage during a campaign rally in Knightstown, Ind., April 26, 2016. Photo: ANDREW SPEAR, NYT Photo: ANDREW SPEAR, NYT Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Ted Cruz: 'We lose our country' if Donald Trump is GOP nominee 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

Sen. Ted Cruz refused to answer whether he'd support GOP frontrunner as his party's nominee during a tense interview Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press, even as host Chuck Todd prodded nine times for Cruz to take a side.

Cruz did give an indication of his position when he said, "Trump's winning the nomination loses the country and I am not willing to give up on America."

His comment is another omen of trouble ahead for the GOP when it comes time rally behind a nominee.

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This election cycle has sharply divided the Republican Party between followers of Trump, of Cruz, and those in the middle who are unsatisfied with their options, thanks largely to the candidates' sharp rhetoric against each other and against the party's so-called establishment.

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A month ago, experts called it unprecedented in American political history when the Republican candidates unanimously declined to pledge their support to the party's eventual nominee. Cruz on Sunday significantly upped the rancor, telling Todd that nominating his rival would virtually be the end of America.

"We are headed to a contested convention and I'm going to win and I'm not willing to concede this country," Cruz said. "If we lose this we lose our country. We lose the Supreme Court for a generation. Religious liberty is taken away, the Second Amendment is taken away. Our kids are bankrupted. We are at the edge of a cliff."

RELATED: Ted Cruz: Trump may encourage riots at contested convention

The sharp splits in the Republican electorate have prompted anticipation of trouble at the party's convention in Cleveland in July. No matter the winner — Trump, Cruz or a surprise — a big voting bloc will become highly irate.

Whether this race goes to a contested convention depends largely on what happens Tuesday in Indiana, where Trump stands a chance to step within striking range of an outright win.