http://keranews.org/post/texas-gop-starts-rally-behind-trump-nomineeTexas GOP Starts To Rally Behind Trump As Nominee
From the Texas Tribune: The Texas Republican Party, much of it aligned with Ted Cruz until he dropped out of the presidential race Tuesday, is beginning to accept Donald Trump as its national standard-bearer.
In the hours following favorite son Cruz's exit, some of Texas' top Republicans leaders and lawmakers — including former Cruz supporters — made clearer than ever they plan to support Trump in the general election. They were helped by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who said Tuesday night Trump will be the presumptive nominee and that the party needs to focus on uniting to defeat Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton in November.
In Texas, state GOP Chairman Tom Mechler is on the same page as Priebus, according to state party spokesman Michael Joyce. The coalescing around Trump in the Lone Star State is unfolding with just over a week until the Texas GOP convention in Dallas, where both Cruz and his short-lived running mate, Carly Fiorina, are scheduled to speak.
Gov. Greg Abbott was one of the first out of the gate Tuesday night, pushing for unity behind Trump in a Facebook post less than two hours after Cruz announced he was ending his bid for the White House.
"Congratulations to my good friend Ted Cruz on a hard-fought campaign," wrote Abbott, who had endorsed Cruz in the run-up to the primary March 1 in Texas. "Conservatives must unite to support the presumptive GOP nominee and prevent the Constitution from being destroyed by Hillary."
Abbott was quickly backed up by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who had chaired Cruz's campaign in Texas and previously said he would support Trump if he were the nominee. In media appearances late Tuesday night, Patrick urged Texas Republicans to get behind Trump and suggested one way the billionaire could unify the GOP is by promising to appoint Cruz to the U.S. Supreme Court.
