Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Thursday that nominating either one of the two current Republican 2016 presidential poll leaders - Donald Trump or Ted Cruz - is a death sentence for the party, saying it's a choice like "being shot or poisoned." Speaking before reporters on Capitol Hill, Graham said that the real estate mogul and Texas senator are detrimental to the party.
"The only way we lose this election is to nominate somebody who cannot grow this party's vote among minorities, young women and the coalitions we need to win," said Graham, according to the Huffington Post. "If you nominate Trump and Cruz, I think you'd get the same outcome. Whether it's death by being shot or poisoning, does it really matter? I don't think the outcome will be substantially different."
As a matter of comparison between Hillary Clinton against either Trump or Cruz, the Democratic front-runner takes the White House, according to Graham.
"Dishonest, which is Hillary Clinton in the eyes of the American people, beats crazy," said Graham, according to USA Today. "I think Donald Trump's domestic and foreign policy is gibberish. I think Ted Cruz has a reputation of being ideological to a fault, and that when it comes to problem solving, he will have a very difficult time proving that he is a problem solver."
Lindsey, who was not too long ago a 2016 contender, recently endorsed former Florida governor Jeb Bush - something that Bush saw as a boon to his campaign. "His endorsement is very meaningful and along with it come a lot of friends and supporters of his," said Bush in an appearance on Fox News, which first broke the story, according to NBC News. "Lindsey Graham is probably the most knowledgeable person on the Hill as it related to national security, military affairs and foreign policy."
Last month, before withdrawing from the race, Graham encouraged Republicans to rebuke Trump. "You know how you make America great again?" said Graham, mocking Trump's campaign slogan. "Tell Donald Trump to go to hell," Graham told CNN.
"He's a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot," added Graham. "He doesn't represent my party."
