Ted Cruz suggested Wednesday night that the “Washington establishment” determined Marco Rubio “can’t win this race” and is “rushing over to support Donald Trump,” NBC News reported.
Cruz made the comments after a new CNN/WMUR poll bumped him up in second place in New Hampshire, where so-called establishment or moderate candidates are chosen over more socially conservative ones like Cruz.
"Let me encourage other members of the establishment: Keep supporting Donald Trump," Cruz said. "Because every time you do it, what it is doing is telling conservatives all over the country where you stand and who stands with you."
The poll, released Wednesday evening, showed Cruz with 14 percent of support, putting him ahead of Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush by four points.
Despite Cruz’s gains, Trump still sits at 34 percent of support in the New Hampshire poll — a 20-point margin over Cruz.
