Sen. Ted Cruz hammered the Washington Post on Wednesday for publishing an online editorial cartoon depicting his two young daughters as dancing monkeys, telling a crowd in Tulsa that the attack "has no place in politics."

"Not too much ticks me off, but making fun of my girls, that'll do it," Cruz said in response to the cartoon, which has since been taken down.

"It used to be for a long time the rules across the board that kids are off limits," he added. "That should be the rules. Don't mess with our kids. Don't mess with my kids. Don't mess with Marco's kids. Don't mess with Hillary's kid. Don't mess with anybody's kids. Leave kids alone And if the media wants to attack and ridicule every Republican, well that's what they're gonna do. But leave our kids alone."

"Let's argue about marginal tax rates. Let's argue about policy. But don't be attacking five year-old girls. That has no place in politics."

Cruz also tweeted a cartoon of Hillary Clinton walking her "lapdogs," the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Seems like a better idea for a cartoon: Hillary and her lapdogs. pic.twitter.com/dou9c7fS4U — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 23, 2015

On Tuesday, Cruz launched an "emergency" appeal seeking to raise $1 million in 24 hours in response to the cartoon.

"My daughters are not FAIR GAME," he wrote in a fundraising email sent late Tuesday. "I'm sickened ... I knew I'd be facing attacks from day one of my campaign, but I never expected anything like this."

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz launched an "emergency" fundraising appeal after the Washington Post ran an animation online showing his daughters as monkeys. TedCruz.org

Cruz accused the "liberal media" of attempting to "attack and destroy me (and my family) by any means necessary."

"This is an emergency — all hands on deck," his fundraising letter added. "Click here to make an instant, emergency contribution and help me fight back."

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz shops for jewelry with his daughters Catherine, left, and Caroline during a campaign stop in Deerfield, N.H., on Oct. 2. Jim Cole / AP

The animation by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes sparked immediate controversy and was later taken down by the Post.

Telnaes also posted a tweet showing the image on Tuesday, which stated that "Ted Cruz uses his kids as political props." It was later deleted.

The cartoon — which portrayed Cruz in a Santa outfit with an organ-grinder and daughters Catherine, 4, and Caroline, 7, as monkeys — was replaced by a note from editorial page editor Fred Hiatt, explaining that it had generally been the Post's policy “to leave children out of it.”

Classy. @washingtonpost makes fun of my girls. Stick w/ attacking me--Caroline & Catherine are out of your league. https://t.co/N61ys6z8w1 — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 22, 2015

Hiatt said: “I failed to look at this cartoon before it was published. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree.”

Telnaes was herself unapologetic, posting a link on Twitter to a parody campaign ad released by Cruz's campaign which showed him reading Christmas stories to his daughters with titles such as “How Obamacare Stole Christmas” and “Rudolph the Underemployed Reindeer.” That ad aired during the most recent episode "Saturday Night Live."

Ted Cruz has put his children in a political ad- don't start screaming when editorial cartoonists draw them as well. https://t.co/7hafBacOiK — Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) December 22, 2015

Cruz received support from his Republican rival Marco Rubio, who called the cartoon “disgusting.”

Wash Post cartoon featuring @tedcruz’s children is disgusting. The Post saying the kids are “fair game” is even worse. — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 23, 2015

Thank you, @marcorubio Appreciate the kind support. We're both Dads of young kids, and it's hard enough on them. https://t.co/8bBtHgxv3M — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 23, 2015

And Donald Trump tweeted a defense of Cruz on Wednesday morning, too.

The @washingtonpost, which is the lobbyist (power) for not imposing taxes on #Amazon, today did a nasty cartoon attacking @tedcruz kids. Bad — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2015

Cruz will spend Wednesday on the final day of an eight-state, 12-city "Christmas Tour."

A new national Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday put the Canadian-born Texas senator at 24 percent in the race for the GOP nomination — behind Donald Trump at 28 percent.

Last weekend, Cruz's wife, Heidi, and the couple' daughters joined him for a weekend trip through the South. While their father shook hands, his two daughters stood on stage and waved to the crowd.