Establishment Republicans in Wisconsin lukewarm on Ted Cruz, but say he still has their vote

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Several establishment Republicans in Wisconsin say Ted Cruz's surge in the state isn't due to enthusiasm for the Texas senator, but more to anti-Donald Trump sentiment.

A Marquette Law School poll has Cruz with a 10-point lead over Trump ahead of next Tuesday's Wisconsin primary. Several prominent Wisconsin Republicans spoke with Politico, saying that while they don't care for Cruz's combative style and his hard-line stance on immigration, they still view him, ultimately, as the best alternative to Trump. "There will be a stop-Trump vote, but I do not think it reflects enthusiasm for Cruz," an unidentified prominent Republican business leader told Politico. "It's going to be an unenthusiastic vote. It's a pick-your-poison vote that does not have the business community fired up. They're basically [asking], 'What color suicide vest do you wear?'"

While Gov. Scott Walker, Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos are all behind Cruz, one person not supporting him is former U.S. Rep. Scott Klug, who is backing John Kasich. He said "very consciously, a lot of people are hoping" that House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin native, ends up the nominee after a contested convention, but Ryan has said multiple times he does not want the nomination and wants to see a candidate who ran this year become the nominee. The state is expected to have its largest primary turnout since 1980, and Republican businessman Brandon Scholz told Politico that while Cruz "may not be their first choice, he may be their only choice. Others who have not been on the Cruz ship are, at least at this point, buying into, Wisconsin is the firewall to stop Trump."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.