There’s even some belief that Cruz’s public image has a degree of malleability that could be in a transition to the general election. David Wasserman, an analyst for the non-partisan Cook Political Report, said Cruz would be a safer choice for Republicans on the ballot.
“While Cruz is still a relatively undefined commodity to a lot of casual voters, Trump is so polarizing that he has the potential to awaken large numbers of young and non-white voters to the polls and significantly hurt Republicans down-ballot,” he said.
Ed Goeas, a Republican pollster who is working with Our Principles PAC, an anti-Trump group, acknowledged the problems Cruz would bring into the general election. “Certainly not as many as Trump,” he said.
He said the party’s national convention in July could give Cruz a bounce in the polls, unlike Trump.
“What happens with Trump is that the feelings about him are so ingrained before this thing even gets started,” Goeas said. “People forget we came out of the 2008 convention leading the polls for the first time, because we were able frame the candidacy of John McCain in a way many voters hadn’t seen. With Trump you’re not going to be able to do that. With Cruz, you have a shot.”
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