| Perspectives on Texas

I was proud to volunteer to serve as Ted Cruz’s Texas Campaign Chairman. Ted and Heidi gave this campaign their all, and their hard work and sacrifice over the past year is a clear demonstration of their love for this country and their commitment to the conservative movement.

That commitment was demonstrated again tonight when Ted stepped aside, knowing it was the right thing for our party and the nation. As a fellow Texan and a fellow conservative, I am honored by Ted’s principled stand on the issues.

I invite all patriots and conservatives to join me as we move forward, heal our disagreements and unite to defeat Hillary Clinton, whose candidacy looms as a grave threat to the future of our country. There is simply too much at stake for us to fail to come together.

I should make clear that I have not spoken with Ted about this, but I believe one immediate step toward uniting our party would be for Donald Trump to consider naming Ted to replace Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court may be the most important thing that is at stake in this is presidential election — the next president will likely make several appointments that will shape the Court for the next 30 years — and Ted has the potential to be one of the greatest Supreme Court justices in our history. No one understands the Constitution better or loves the Constitution more than Ted. If Trump were to announce his intention to put Cruz on the court, it would underscore those high stakes for voters, make it clear where he stands and rally Ted’s supporters behind Trump.

There are others in our party that could play an important role in establishing the unity we will need to defeat Hillary Clinton. For example, early announcements by Trump to signal that Rudy Guiliani might serve as head of Homeland Security, Chris Christie as U.S. Attorney General or Ben Carson as leader of Health & Human Services could all serve as invitations to many across our party to unite quickly and begin the task of taking our ideas to the people.

There are some who say that they could never vote for Donald Trump — in fact, I was one of those people early on in this presidential race. But conservatives and Republicans unite around ideas and principles, and when we examine the ideas Hillary Clinton is putting forward, the choice for conservatives and any thinking American becomes clear.

Hillary Clinton will continue Barack Obama’s open border and amnesty policies. Like Obama, Hillary refuses to see the problems that result because we have failed to stem the tide of illegal immigration. Like Obama, Hillary does not understand that to remain a sovereign nation, we must have a secure border.

Donald Trump gets it. He understands that securing our border must be a top priority. That is an issue Republicans can unite around.

Hillary Clinton will prop up Obamacare — indeed, she was for government-paid health care even before Obama. If she is elected, Obama’s unworkable system will continue failing to deliver health care in this country while bankrupting American taxpayers.

Donald Trump understands what a pathetic failure Obamacare has been. This is an issue Republicans can unite around.

Like all Democrats, Hillary Clinton believes that government creates jobs, and she will continue Obama's policies that have stifled job creation and hurt American workers.

Donald Trump knows very well that businesses — both large and small — create jobs, and he will support policies that expand good and innovative job creation across the country. That is an issue Republicans can unite around.

In fact, virtually every idea Hillary has for this country would be disastrous.

Over the past several months, I have said repeatedly that I would support our nominee, whether it be Cruz or Trump. That candidate is Donald Trump. It is time for all Republicans to unite and make sure Hillary Clinton and the Democrats aren’t allowed to keep the White House for another four years.

I stand ready to do my part. Please join me.