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Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at a campaign rally on April 15 in Syracuse, N.Y. | AP Photo Cruz: Contested convention could 'fracture' GOP

NEW YORK — Ted Cruz on Monday acknowledged he's concerned about how a contested convention might “fracture” the party ahead of the general election, especially if Donald Trump lashes out should he lose the primary.

“There is no doubt, we are likely headed to a contested convention,” the Texas senator told a private gathering of Republicans here in Manhattan, according to audio of the meeting obtained by POLITICO. “One of the greatest risks of a contested convention is, if you come out with a party fractured, it potentially makes you vulnerable going into the general election. I believe, in a contested convention, we’ll have a strong advantage and we will earn the majority of the delegates and unify the party. But in that circumstance it’s not difficult to imagine Donald Trump getting very upset, and making his upsetness [known].”

Trump currently leads Cruz in delegates and in state victories, and he looks poised for a big victory in the New York primary on Tuesday. The Texas senator is highly unlikely to win the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination outright and is working to do so on a second ballot at a contested convention.

But Cruz downplayed the threat of Trump running as a third-party candidate should he lose the GOP primary. Cruz cited so-called “sore loser” laws that, through ballot access requirements, make it very difficult in some states for candidates to mount an independent bid late in the cycle.

“I don’t think there is a significant risk of his running as third party,” he said, but went on to note that there was the risk that Trump’s supporters would just sit out the election.

Cruz is working to counteract that possibility, he said, by highlighting his own anti-illegal immigration stance and his focus on bringing “jobs back to America.” He said expects that approach will bring “most “ of those voters back to his side and out to the polls should he win the nomination.

“That being said, is it a major concern? Yes,” Cruz said of Trump voters staying home. “And we’re going to have to work hard to keep the voters energized regardless of how Donald chooses to handle what happens if he doesn’t win.”

