To resounding applause and cheers, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced Wednesday that he has chosen former GOP rival Carly Fiorina to be his running mate if he secures the Republican presidential nomination.
"I will run on a ticket with my vice presidential nominee Carly Fiorina," he said at a rally in Indianapolis as supporters broke out into chants of "Carly."
Cruz and Fiorina have been in close contact since she agreed to endorse him in March, with Fiorina becoming a regular fixture on the campaign trail and forming a strong relationship with Cruz and his family.
Before agreeing to endorse him, Cruz said, "Carly looked at me and said, 'Our country is in crisis and we've got to do this together.' Since that time I've seen her day in and day out on the campaign bus ... she is careful, she is measured, she is serious ... she doesn't get rattled by whatever is being thrown at her."
He appeared to draw a line between himself and GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who has had trouble wooing female voters, calling Fiorina a "strong woman" and highlighting her business acumen and ability to handle stressful situations.
"She is brilliant and capable," Cruz said. "Over and over again, Carly has shattered glass ceilings but in addition ... to being a woman of extraordinary intelligence, she' s also a woman of deep principle."
He added that his choice was partially motivated by the strong character Fiorina has shown in tragic personal situations. She has said her stepdaughter died of a drug overdose.
"It is when you are facing the void, the abyss, that you find your character, you find your faith, you find your ground," Cruz said. "Maybe that's why Carly isn't intimidated by bullies, because she's faced challenges a lot worse than someone bellowing and yelling and insulting her face."
As Fiorina took the stage, another round of chants broke out. She stressed that Cruz "must be the next president of the United States," and framed both Trump and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton as "part of the system."
"There is a lot at stake," she said. "This is a fight that is for the soul of our party and the future of our nation. ... Donald Trump has made his millions buying people like Hillary Clinton. They are not going to challenge the system that has sold us all down the river. ... They are the system."
To some political analysts, Cruz's decision to name his planned running mate so early in the election cycle appeared to be a desperate move aimed at stopping Trump from securing the GOP nomination. However, Cruz said he was instead motivated by the need to show Republican voters exactly what they would get if he is elected president and to unite the party.
"I think all would acknowledge this race, if anything, is unusual," he said. "Where we are now, the mainstreem media, the New York media executives and the Washington lobbyist are all trying to tell you the race is over... but where we are right now, no one is getting to 1,237 delegates (the number needed to clinch the nomination). I'm not getting to 1,237 delegates and Donald J. Trump is not getting to 1,237 delegates."
Fiorina endorsed Cruz in March, one month after she suspended her campaign for the GOP presidential nomination.
The Weekly Standard reported on Monday that the Cruz campaign was vetting Fiorina as a possible vice presidential pick. Sarah Isgur Flores, who worked as Fiorina's deputy campaign manager during her run for the Republican nomination, told the Standard no offer had yet been made.
In a statement released to the Standard, Cruz campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart confirmed the campaign was vetting prospective running mates but declined to share any specific.
Cruz told reporters he would be making a "major announcement" during the Indianapolis rally as he works to secure votes in the Hoosier State. He trails Trump by an eight-point margin in Indiana, according to a Fox News poll released Friday.
In a bid to keep Trump from securing the GOP nomination, Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich agreed not to campaign against one another in three states. Cruz said he wouldn't campaign in Oregon or New Mexico while Kasich agreed not to campaign in Indiana.
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