Vice President JD Vance’s allies are brushing off Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s declaration that Republicans have not yet coalesced around a potential Vance candidacy.
Cruz recently argued that the party will have “a full discussion about who we are and what we believe in” and said he will “certainly be part of the discussion.”
In response, one Vance supporter told Semafor: “The more, the merrier. We encourage them to split the single-digit anti-JD vote among all the dinosaurs of the Republican Party, none of whom will win a single primary.”
Meanwhile, an adviser to President Donald Trump agreed that there “will be a full discussion” on what the GOP stands for, but dismissed Cruz’s role in it: “Unfortunately for [Cruz], has-beens polling at 1% won’t be part of that conversation.”
The back-and-forth is an early glimpse into the looming debate over who will succeed Trump and how his movement will evolve.
Vance’s office did not respond to a comment request on Cruz.
— Shelby Talcott