Convention speech sparks blowback from Ted Cruz donors

With that in mind, Cruz convened a conference call with donors to his presidential campaign the weekend after his speech and worked to clarify his remarks, which were widely interpreted as a public rebuke of Trump. According to a participant on the call, Cruz told donors that he didn’t anticipate the intensity of the audience’s response; nor did he intend to signal his alliance with or allegiance to the so-called Never Trump movement, which has worked to recruit a third-party presidential candidate…

“I was utterly shocked. He gave a world-class speech, and had he stopped seven-eighths of the way through, nobody would doubt he’d be the nominee in 2020 or 2024,” says one person who was among Cruz’s biggest donors and bundlers. “Instead he goes and says, ‘Vote your conscience,’ which everyone knows meant, ‘F Trump.’”

The donor, who requested anonymity to preserve his relationship with the senator, says many of Cruz’s financial backers share his sentiments. “I haven’t talked to any of the seven-figure donors to the super PAC who are happy — this is not good,” he says. “I think he’s — I think this is not going to be easy to get over.”

He estimates that Cruz alienated “about 50 percent of his supporters” with the move, then he corrects himself. “I’m really just saying 50 percent because I’m his friend. I haven’t heard a single person be positive, actually.” The donor refuses to speculate about how many of his peers might stop giving to Cruz and says that personally he will continue donating because of their friendship. He adds, however, that Cruz’s decision upset him so much that he will no longer raise money on his behalf.