Ted Cruz nabs former presidential rival Carly Fiorina as his running mate

Following a disastrous run at the Acela Primaries on 26 April, Ted Cruz pulled a last-minute move to stop Republican frontrunner Donald Trump from winning the party's nomination by naming former GOP rival Carly Fiorina as his vice presidential running mate. Cruz suffered demoralising losses to Trump in five states, coming in third place in all but one.

Cruz praised Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and only woman to run as a Republican candidate this campaign, as a fighter for conservative values who would be a great ally on the campaign trail, Reuters reported.

"Carly is brilliant and capable, and yet she experienced the hardscrabble world of being a female professional," Cruz said during a rally in Indianapolis, Indiana. "Over and over again, Carly has shattered glass ceilings. But in addition to being a woman of extraordinary experience, she's also a woman of deep principle."

He added: "Carly is a vice presidential nominee who I think is superbly skilled, superbly gifted at helping unite this party."

After taking the stage, Fiorina took aim at Trump and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. "Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both would be disastrous for this nation," Fiorina said. "They are not going to challenge the system that has sold us all down the river. They are the system."

The Texas senator has diverted all his energies to the next primary battleground as he attempts to close the delegate gap between himself and Trump. Earlier in the week, Cruz joined forces with rival John Kasich to stop Trump from winning in Indiana, New Mexico and Oregon. The two candidates announced Kasich will clear the way for Cruz to campaign in Indiana, while Cruz will do the same for Kasich in New Mexico and Oregon.

According to Reuters, Cruz acknowledged it was a bit early to choose a running mate, especially since he has yet to clinch the nomination. "I think all would acknowledge this race, if anything, it is unusual," said Cruz. He added that he wanted to give voters a clear choice and fight against the notion that the GOP race is over.

Cruz trails Trump by several hundred delegates following the primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Trump eclipses his rivals with 987 delegates, followed by Cruz with 562 and Kasich with 153. Republican candidates need 1,237 delegates for the nomination.