Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is asking supporters for money so he can put Rush Limbaugh's praise of him “in front of millions of Republican primary voters.”
During the November 22 edition of Fox News Sunday, Limbaugh was asked for his opinion about the Texas senator. He replied: “Brilliant, just absolutely brilliant. And conservative through and through. Trustworthy, strong, confident, leader, and somebody in whom you can totally depend.”
Cruz sent a fundraising email to supporters today touting Limbaugh's praise and asking for money so he can get his remarks out to voters. From Cruz's email:
Nationally renowned radio host Rush Limbaugh just made a huge move of support for my campaign...even going as far as to defend me on national television!
I can't thank Rush enough for his supportive comments.[...]
Rush defended me against the mainstream media -- will you help me get Rush's defense in front of millions of Republican primary voters in the next seven days by making a EMERGENCY contribution today?
Limbaugh has repeatedly praised Cruz, both before and after he launched his presidential campaign, even once suggesting he “might be the smartest man in Congress.” Cruz recently lobbied for a Republican presidential debate “moderated by Sean Hannity and Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh.”
Limbaugh has a long history of offensive and controversial remarks that may appeal to the Republican Party base, but are toxic to advertisers and most of the general public.
Cruz has also drawn recent praise from right-wing figures like Fox's Sean Hannity, radio host Mark Levin, Iowa pundit Steve Deace, gun activist Larry Pratt, Texas-based radio host Michael Berry, and anti-choice extremist Troy Newman, among others.
A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that the “most avid conservative talk-radio listeners ranked retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson as their top pick, followed by celebrity businessman Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Just 3% gave the nod to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.”