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Erstwhile presidential candidate and public sad man Jeb Bush endorsed Ted Cruz in a statement posted to Facebook page this morning.

It reads:

I wanted you all to be the first to know that today I am endorsing Ted Cruz for President.

Ted is a consistent, principled conservative who has demonstrated the ability to appeal to voters and win primary contests, including yesterday’s Utah caucus.

As I said from the moment I launched my presidential campaign, the stakes in 2016 couldn’t be higher.

Washington is broken, too many families are stuck in poverty and Western civilization is under attack from radical Islamic terrorists, as evidenced by the horrific attack in Brussels, which was preceded by attacks in Paris and California.

For the sake of our party and country, we must overcome the divisiveness and vulgarity Donald Trump has brought into the political arena or we will certainly lose our chance to defeat the Democratic nominee, most likely Hillary Clinton, this fall.

That is the only way we can reverse President Obama’s failed domestic and foreign policy agenda, and turn our country around.

Republicans can win back the White House and put our nation on a path to security and prosperity if we support a nominee who can unite our party and articulate how conservative policies will help people rise up and reach their full potential.

At the very least, the endorsement is noteworthy because those in the greater Republican establishment who refuse to support Donald Trump are quickly being forced to decide if they are instead backing Cruz, John Kasich, or none of the above. A recent report in the New York Times showed that the anti-Trump movement is still fractured, with various moneymen and public figures slowly warming to Cruz or Kasich despite others still harboring fantasies of nominating Rick Perry, lmao.

Bush was the establishment’s first choice, and as such he was buoyed by an obscene amount of private money. It was to absolutely no avail, of course, but if Bush takes an active role in campaigning for Cruz he could at least help funnel him some cash. Mike Allen and Alex Isenstadt of The Politico say it’s unclear if Bush’s involvement will reach that level:

The source said Bush “will actively support Senator Cruz’s bid,” but has not yet agreed to a joint appearance with Cruz, or to headline a fundraiser for him.

Nonetheless, the Jeb Bush campaign was a giant dud. Voters never warmed to the man who ended up merely being another for foil for Donald Trump’s wildly successful anti-empty suit campaign. This fact still appears to be escaping some in the establishment, as represented by The Politico, which argues:

The news will surely irk Rubio, who could have benefited greatly from Bush’s embrace.

Hmm. We sure about that one?

Meanwhile, according to The Politico, in a private fundraiser held last night “inside a sleek Denver condominium,” Jeb’s actually successful brother George W., told donors that he won’t be supporting Cruz. He reportedly said:

“I just don’t like the guy.”

Imagine that statement in George W. Bush’s voice. Do you miss 2004 yet? Yeah, me either.