The 2016 Blast The latest POLITICO scoops and coverage of the 2016 elections. Email Sign Up

Tweets from https://twitter.com/politico/lists/team-politico



Ted Cruz speaks at Woodrow Wilson Middle School on April 24 in Terre Haute, Ind. | AP Photo Cruz on Kasich deal: 'This is entirely about the will of the people'

Rejecting Donald Trump's allegation that his campaign has colluded with John Kasich's to deny the Republican front-runner the nomination, Ted Cruz on Monday called his agreement to cede New Mexico and Oregon to the Ohio governor in exchange for Indiana "entirely about the will of the people."

"This is about winning the votes of the Hoosier State, giving Indiana the opportunity to choose, and we’re at a fork in the road. We’re at a fundamental fork in the road," Cruz told reporters before a rally in Borden, Indiana.

With Trump as the nominee, Cruz added, Hillary Clinton wins by double digits, which would cost Republicans the presidency, the Senate and potentially the House, as well as "the Supreme Court for a generation. The Bill of Rights gets put into real jeopardy."

"And I’ll tell you, here in the state of Indiana, Donald Trump at the top of the ticket losing in a landslide would cost Republicans seats all throughout the state of Indiana. We’re not gonna let that happen," Cruz said, noting that a Clinton presidency would result in the loss of "tens of thousands of jobs" in the state and the coal industry's bankruptcy.

The campaigns' mutual decision to divide states is "devoted to the principle of beating Hillary Clinton in November and turning this country around," Cruz said.

“Listen, I don’t doubt that Donald Trump is going to scream and yell and curse and insult and probably cry and whine some as well. That has been Donald’s pattern," Cruz said, reacting to Trump's cries of collusion in a sharply worded statement Monday morning.

Asked whether he felt it sent a bad message to voters who felt that it represented a politically cynical move, Cruz disagreed.

“Listen, I have been from Day One an outsider, and the proof is in the pudding" he said. "The voters can ask who has stood up and led the fight against the Washington cartel from Day One, and I am the only candidate in this race that has taken on not just Democrats but leaders in my own party over and over and over again.”

Further rejecting that collusion allegation, Cruz turned his fire on Trump and his refusal to debate.

“I understand that Donald will whine. That’s what he does. Donald is a sore loser," Cruz said. "When he lost five states in a row in landslide elections, Donald threw a tantrum. And his response is to attack the voters. His response is to attack the people. Yes, I get that the Trump campaign is scared. They’re scared of Indiana. If Donald isn’t scared, he’d show up in Indiana and have a debate.”