Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he's
backing Ted Cruz for the GOP presidential nomination not only because he's from his home state, but because they worked side-by-side for more than five years and he's seen him behind the scenes.
"Ted is someone that I've known for 13 years," Abbott told
MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "Ted and I worked side-by-side for more than five years when I was the attorney general of Texas and he was my solicitor general."
And unlike people who support politicians because of their public speeches, Abbott said, he knows Cruz's commitment and "that what he does in his official political actions is what he feels in his heart."
Abbott also discounted reports that are critical of Cruz personally, saying that "people absolutely loved him" in the Texas attorney general's office.
"He was jovial, fun to work with, he is an extremely hard worker," said Abbott. "He would work 18 to 20 hours a day regularly and he would crank out the very best products about a range of issues where he was able to cobble together national coalitions in favor of certain causes that that we were able to have great success on on a national stage.
"Ted Cruz is somebody who both is easy to work with, he's very principled."
Abbott said Cruz has strong support in Texas, and believes he'll do well in his home state.
"What we have seen in these primaries so far, anyone who thinks they can predict the outcome in advance may be proven to be wrong," the governor said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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