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Graham: Ted Cruz or bust

by Jesse Byrnes - 04/08/16 9:07 AM ET

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) suggested Friday that it’d be a “disaster” if Republicans tried to “parachute in” a candidate at a contested convention this summer to pick up the GOP presidential nomination.

“If you parachute somebody in just on electability — Paul Ryan is a wonderful guy, doesn’t want to be put in this position — I’m trying to get us the most viable nominee for 2016 that could win that doesn’t destroy the party,” Graham, who has backed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), said during an interview on “CBS This Morning.”

{mosads}”I think Trump destroys the party, and if you parachute somebody in, and try to ignore millions of votes, you’re going to destroy this party. So we are right back to Ted,” Graham said.

Graham’s remarks echo similar ones from Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who has said he thinks the nominee will be one of the three current candidates.

But speculation persists that, should the nominating process move to an open convention in July, a Republican other than Cruz or Donald Trump or John Kasich may be put forward a few ballots in.

Graham ripped the possibility of a Trump nomination, saying he’d be a “disaster for the country and the party” and describing his domestic and foreign policy views as “gibberish.”

“Ted Cruz is a Republican, he’s smart as hell, he’s run a very effective campaign,” Graham said. The South Carolina senator, who dropped his own bid in December, acknowledged differences with Cruz, but argued “he would not destroy our party.”

“Millions of people have voted. We’re down to three. The nominee should come from one of those three,” Graham said, arguing that Cruz “is a part of my party. Donald Trump is an interloper.”

Tags 2016 GOP primary contested convention Donald Trump Lindsey Graham Paul Ryan Ted Cruz