Report: Trump Cracks Cruz’s Lock On Talk Radio

“The key talk radio thought leaders” have backed Ted Cruz in “the critical moments in this race,” said Chad Sweet, Cruz's campaign chairman, acknowledging the strategic emphasis on talk radio. “The reality is, the reach of talk radio is greater than any other medium, it’s greater than written print media, greater than television media. There is no other candidate that has had the groundswell of organic support among talk radio than Ted Cruz.”

Glenn Beck, Laura Ingrahan, Mark Lvein

But, reports Politico,  while talk hosts Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham and Glenn Beck, among others, all came to Cruz’s defense during the height of the “birther” attacks, suddenly, some of Cruz’s consistent supporters in the right-wing media are hedging their bets.

Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh, for example, has carefully straddled the divide; while giving his full-throated support to Cruz, Limbaugh has praised Trump’s tactics noting that to his broad base of support he represents “opportunity” “newness” and the "breaking out of whatever it is that's got us shackled." Laura Ingraham, a staunch Cruz defender, also initially validated Trump’s questioning of his U.S. citizenship before changing her mind and stating that the question has been resolved. But just days ago, Ingraham pointed out to her listeners Cruz’s flip flops on free trade and immigration reform.

But as conservative media personalities have had to pick a side, most are still choosing Cruz, and only some of them are tempering their tone in talking about Trump. Conservative media personality Glenn Beck on Saturday endorsed Cruz during a campaign rally in Iowa, warning against Trump’s “reality show tactics” as he became one of Cruz’s highest-profile backers to date.

"The great news is we don't live anymore in a world of three networks that have a stranglehold on information,” Cruz said Sunday, hinting at his campaign's decision to go around the mainstream media, long a target of conservative ire, during an interview on Fox News. “We have got the internet. We have got the Drudge Report. We have got talk radio. We have got social media. We've got the ability to go directly around, and directly to the people.”

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