Ted Cruz super PAC goes after Donald Trump on abortion
One of the super PACs supporting Sen. Ted Cruz's bid for the Republican presidential nomination released two ads Monday going after Cruz's rival, businessman Donald Trump.
One ad, called "Extreme," pulls footage from a 1999 appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" where Trump called himself "pro-choice in every respect" when explaining why he would not ban partial-birth abortion. Watch the ad here:
The other spot, called "I like Ted," shows Trump heaping praise upon Cruz in February 2014 while introducing him at a Republican Party fundraising dinner in Palm Beach, Florida.
"One of the reasons I like Ted Cruz so much, is that he's not controversial. But the truth is, he shouldn't be controversial because what he's doing is right...it's common sense. It's good government. It's so many good things. He's now a very, very popular and important figure in all of our lives, and in this country's life," Trump said. Watch the ad here:
"Keep the Promise I," one of a handful of super PACs backing Cruz, is spending $2.5 million to air the 30-second ads in Iowa and South Carolina. This super PAC is funded by Robert Mercer, the co-CEO of hedge fund Renaissance Technologies.
In a statement, the super PAC's president, Kellyanne Conway, said the abortion-focused ad shows conservatives and Republicans their choice between a nominee who holds views in line with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton or one who is more like former President Ronald Reagan. On the other ad, where Trump compliments Cruz, she said, "Trump has gone from self-anointed BFF to critic-in-chief. The mean and personal attacks on Cruz are at odds with Trump's praise of Cruz as a 'a special guy' and 'very, very popular'. Will voters be bullied into believing the bluster, or stick with a brilliant man who won't betray them?"
Trump and Cruz have spent the last few weeks attacking each other as Cruz has crept up on Trump's lead in Iowa, where voters will caucus on Monday. The latest CBS News Battleground Tracker shows Trump leading Cruz by just five percentage points in Iowa. He leads by 19 points in South Carolina, but it is a state where Cruz will likely make inroads with the state's many evangelical voters.