Former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole ripped into [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore] on Wednesday, saying: “If he’s the nominee, we’re going to have wholesale losses in Congress and state offices and governors and legislatures.”
But Dole said the other anti-establishment candidate, Donald Trump, could “probably work with Congress, because…he’s got the right personality and he’s kind of a deal-maker.”
The former Senate majority leader — who lost to Bill Clinton in the 1996 presidential race — made the comments during an interview with The New York Times.
Dole has endorsed Jeb Bush, who he said “doesn’t scream and yell in the debates, so I guess that’s a minus, but he’s a decent, honest guy who’s had experience, and he’s dealt with a legislature.”
Speaking of Cruz, Dole called him an “extremist” and said: “I don’t know how he’s going to deal with Congress. Nobody likes him.”
“I question his allegiance to the party,” Dole said of Cruz. “I don’t know how often you’ve heard him say the word ‘Republican’ — not very often.”
Dole is the second establishment-type figure to criticize Cruz in recent days. On Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said: “It would be a big mistake for Iowa to support him.”