Must win: Ted Cruz can't go much further if he doesn't stop Trump in Iowa

The Iowa caucuses are beginning to look like a must-win for Ted Cruz.

Pundits say that if Cruz doesn't stop Donald Trump in Iowa, he might not get a second chance.

Even Cruz's supporters say that if he doesn't finish ahead of Trump, or at least a close second, that he will face an uphill struggle to regain enough momentum to eventually win the Republican nomination.

That would explain why Cruz has amped up his attacks on Trump in recent days, as the first test of the campaign season draws near.

When Trump announced that he would not participate in the Republican debate Thursday night, Cruz challenged him to a one-on-one debate.

Trump declined.

If either candidate can pull off wins in both Iowa and New Hampshire, it would set him up to pick up momentum heading into the spring contests. But Cruz is trailing Trump in the New Hampshire polls and is neck-and-neck with the billionaire in the Iowa polls.

He needs a win.

Published in Editorials on January 29, 2016 10:00 AM