Lindsey Graham Concedes: If Rubio Loses Florida, GOP Establishment Will Have to Rally Around Ted Cruz

Just last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) was cracking jokes about murdering fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas). Now, Graham believes the Texas senator could be the Republican Party's only hope at winning the White House come November.

Graham, who ended his presidential campaign last December, said in an interview with CBS News Tuesday night that Cruz is not his favorite candidate "by any means" but claimed that Cruz is likely the GOP's only hope at beating front-runner Donald Trump if Florida Sen. Marco Rubio underperforms.

Graham: "We may be in a position where we have to rally around Ted Cruz as the only way to stop Donald Trump." pic.twitter.com/6jMfLMEJs4

— PolicyMic (@PolicyMic) March 2, 2016

"If Marco doesn’t win Florida, I don’t know how he goes for it," Graham said. "Ted Cruz is not my favorite by any means, but we may be in a position where we have to rally around Ted Cruz as the only way to stop Donald Trump. And I'm not so sure that would work."

Graham also reiterated during the interview that he does not actually wish Cruz any harm and that his joke last week was merely that: a joke.

But when asked by CBS anchor Charlie Rose whether or not he believed Cruz was the only Republican who could defeat Trump, Graham reluctantly answered in the affirmative.

[sharequote align="right"]"I can't believe I would say yes, but yes."[/sharequote]

"I can't believe I would say yes, but yes," Graham said, adding that Trump would be beat "like a drum" in a general election match-up with Hillary Clinton. Not only that, but Graham said a Trump nomination would set the Republican party back — especially with Hispanics.

"You'll never convince me that Donald Trump is the answer to the problem we have with Hispanics," he said. "It will tear the party apart, it will divide conservatism, and we're gonna lose to Hillary Clinton and have the third term of Barack Obama."

However, Graham was not optimistic that anything could actually stop Trump, well, "short of a major scandal," he explained.

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