Rick Perry Endorses Cruz

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Rick Perry Sides With Ted Cruz in Nomination Battle With Trump - Picking sides in an intensifying 2016 rivalry, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry Monday endorsed his fellow Texan, Sen. Ted Cruz, for president, giving the senator a boost in his competition with businessman Donald Trump in the run up to Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses.

Before abandoning his own 2016 presidential bid, Mr. Perry — former Texas governor — was one of the most-pointed of Mr. Trump’s antagonists, criticizing his anti-immigrant rhetoric and calling him a “cancer on conservatism.”

Mr. Perry was the first of the major 2016 candidates to drop out of the race. He is the second former candidate to weigh in and endorse one of his rivals. The first was Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who is backing former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Citing his record as an Air Force veteran, Mr. Perry said Mr. Cruz was especially able to be a leader of the U.S. military, although he has served less than one term as a U.S. senator and had scant national security experience before his election in 2012.

“Ted has proven that he is ready to serve as commander in chief on day one,” Mr. Perry said. “He has also proven the willingness to take on the Washington cartel and restore power and opportunity back to the people.”

Mr. Perry has not always been in league with Mr. Cruz in home-state politics: In 2012, Mr. Cruz beat Mr. Perry’s ally, then-Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, in a bitter primary fight for the GOP Senate nomination.

Mr. Perry will campaign with Mr. Cruz in Iowa this week.

Meanwhile, a super PAC supporting Mr. Cruz for the first time launched ads attacking Mr. Trump. One of the 30 second spots by Keep the Promise, which will be aired in Iowa and South Carolina, shows footage of Mr. Trump lavishly praising Mr. Cruz in 2014.

The other shows television interview clips of Mr. Trump in 1999 speaking about abortion rights, saying he was “very pro-choice” and against a ban on partial birth abortion.

Mr. Trump has acknowledged that he has had a change of heart on abortion rights. And he also acknowledges his reversal on Mr. Cruz, saying he has started attacking him because he is gaining ground on him in the presidential contest.