Rubio: Cruz’s stances are ‘calculating,’ not principled

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) says Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) bases his conservatism on political “calculation” rather than principle.

“There’s a difference between principle and calculation,” he told host Jack Heath on WGIR AM 610’s “New Hampshire Today” on Wednesday, as first reported by BuzzFeed.

{mosads}“Ted has shown in his career that he can be calculating on his position on certain issues,” Rubio continued.

“He’s portrayed himself as the only principled conservative in this race. But the fact is that his positions on issues like trade and immigration have been tempered by the political winds.”

Rubio cited multiple instances where Cruz softened his conservative positions when confronted with alternative audiences.

“It’s voting not to fund the military and then talking about bombing ISIS [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] and making the sands glow,” he said. “It’s about weakening our intelligence programs and then talking tough on ISIS.

“It’s what he says at a fundraiser in New York and then what he says in a speech in Iowa,” Rubio continued, referencing a report questioning Cruz’s dedication to traditional marriage.

“We’ll have a discussion about that, especially if you’re going to attack others and hold yourself up as the only principled conservative in the race.”

Rubio also criticized GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump for taking vague policy stances on the campaign trail.

“I just don’t think he’s spent a lot of time outlining what he is going to do, except by telling us he’s going to do it without telling us how,” Rubio said.

Cruz dismissed a report Wednesday alleging that he said defending traditional marriage is not a “top-three priority” for him. He has argued that he is more concerned with defending the Constitution and leaving the states with defining marriage instead.

Trump leads the GOP presidential race nationally with 35.1 percent support, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls. Cruz sits in second, with 18.1 percent, and Rubio is in third, with 11.5 percent.