Sunday on Fox News channel’s countdown to Iowa coverage, former Senator Bob Dole said while his first choice for the Republican presidential nomination is Jeb Bush, if he had to choose between Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Donald Trump, Dole said, “I would vote for Trump. I think he’s a negotiator.”

Dole said, “Well, I still have a lot of friends in Iowa. They’ve gotten a little older , but still have a lot of friends. I’m a conservative. As I said, I’m a Grassley, Ernst conservative. I don’t — during my 28-plus years in the Senate I had a strong conservative record. But that’s not good enough for Ted Cruz, who wants us to be on the far, far right. There are some people out there—what’s he going to do if he’s elected? He’s going to cost us wholesale losses in the Congress and governors and state legislatures.”

Dole continued, “I want to reiterate my candidate is the best qualified in the group, Jeb Bush. But if it came down to Trump and Cruz, I would vote for Trump. I think he’s a negotiator. He knows many members of Congress. In fact, he contributed Democrats and Republicans. He’s worked for Democrats and Republicans. More than I can say for Ted Cruz, the Lone Ranger in the senate. It’s his way or the highway or shut down the government. Certainly doesn’t do anyone any good and costs millions of dollars.”

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