Election 2016: Ted Cruz Endorsed By Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Ahead Of Texas Primary On Super Tuesday

After a disappointing third-place finish in the Nevada caucuses Tuesday night, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had some good news to share Wednesday morning. The leader of his home state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, endorsed Cruz in a video posted to YouTube, providing a key boost ahead of the Texas primary that will take next week, March 1.

Abbott will formally endorse Cruz Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Houston, CNN reported, citing campaign officials. The move was widely expected and marks the highest-profile endorsement for Cruz in the presidential race. While he has received a number of endorsements from members of the House of Representatives, no other governor or senator has backed Cruz.

In the video endorsement, Abbott praised Cruz’s work as solicitor general and said he trusts Cruz as a constitutionalist who will appoint the right judges to the Supreme Court. He also called the senator “principled” and “fearless.”

“It is our duty as Texas conservatives to support a leader that we can trust to restore our values. That is why I am supporting Ted Cruz for president,” Abbott said in the video. “Unlike far too many in Washington, the Ted Cruz we’ve seen in the Senate is the same Ted Cruz that we elected. And he’s the same Ted Cruz I served with when I was the attorney general and Ted was the solicitor general.”

Cruz has often spoken highly of the governor on the campaign trail and recalled his time working under Abbott as solicitor general. In addition to Abbott, a number of Texas state legislators have endorsed Cruz, and they are expected to help him woo voters leading up to Super Tuesday when Texans will cast their primary votes.

"To my fellow Texas conservatives, I say this — we need to deliver. This is our time. Ted Cruz is our candidate,” Abbott said in the video. “Now let’s do our part to take this country back.”