Bob Dole calls Ted Cruz an 'extremist' that 'nobody likes'

Bob Dole has a warning for his fellow Republicans: If Ted Cruz wins the presidential nomination, the party can expect "cataclysmic" and "wholesale losses."

The former senator from Kansas and 1996 Republican presidential nominee said he questions Cruz's "allegiance to the party," adding that he rarely utters the word "Republican," instead saying "conservative." The Republican party is "not that far right," he said, and Cruz is an "extremist." "I don't know how he's going to deal with Congress," he told The New York Times. "Nobody likes him." If he becomes the nominee and runs against Hillary Clinton, Dole said he's certain Clinton will "win in a waltz."

He took a softer stance on Trump, saying he could "probably work with Congress because he's, you know, he's got the right personality and he's kind of a deal-maker." Dole is throwing his support behind Jeb Bush, but said the former governor needs to have a "break out" moment. Bush "doesn't scream and yell in the debates, so I guess that's a minus, but he's a decent, honest guy who's had experience, and he's dealt with a legislature." Experience is important, he said, adding: "That's the one thing that the voters don't seem to care about this cycle, and I don't know — there's no substitute for experience."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up