National Review endorses Ted Cruz but admits he isn't perfect

The conservative magazine National Review endorsed Ted Cruz on Friday, although not without admitting the senator's flaws. "[Cruz] has sometimes made tactical errors, in our judgment; but conflicts have also arisen because his colleagues have lacked direction, clarity, and urgency. In any case, these conflicts pale into insignificance in light of Republicans' shared interest in winning in November and governing successfully thereafter," National Review writes.

Although the endorsement didn't directly name Trump, National Review goes on to say that Cruz is "Republicans' best chance for keeping their presidential nomination from going to someone with low character and worse principles."

National Review has long positioned itself as being staunchly anti-Trump, although Politico points out that their decision to back Cruz comes as a glaring blow to Marco Rubio. "Ted's the only one with a plausible path to stopping Trump, either by getting a majority himself or denying Trump a majority and finishing close behind and getting it to convention," editor Rich Lowry told Politico ahead of the endorsement.

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The National Review goes on to say that, "We are well aware that a lot of Republicans, and even some conservatives, dislike the senator and even find him unlikable. So far, conservative voters seem to like him just fine... No politician is perfect, and Senator Cruz will find that our endorsement comes with friendly and ongoing criticism."