Sen. Ted Cruz 'enthusiastically' endorses Donald Trump for president: 'This race is over'

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed Donald Trump for president Tuesday night and called for the country to unify behind the Republican front-runner.

"I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States," Cruz said on "Hannity." "I look forward to supporting him enthusiastically."

Cruz, who fiercely battled Trump in the 2016 election primaries, argued that the results of the Iowa caucuses showed there is only one viable Republican nominee.

"[Iowa] was a dominating victory for Donald Trump: I've got to say, there's no place like the Iowa caucuses. I know it intimately. The men and women of Iowa, they take their responsibility incredibly seriously. They scrutinize the candidates," Cruz said.

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Former President Donald Trump points to supporters at the conclusion of a campaign rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire, on Tuesday. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

"It's an amazing process, and I'm a big believer in letting democracy play out. Well, last night it played out, and I got to say Trump's victory was across the board… Congratulations to President Trump on that dominating victory," Cruz said. "And at this point, I believe this race is over."

Trump earned 51% of the votes in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, claiming a 30-point victory over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who slightly secured second place over Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former two-term South Carolina governor.

Vivek Ramaswamy joined former President Trump in New Hampshire for a campaign event on Tuesday, not even 24 hours after suspending his own presidential campaign after a fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The Texas senator said that Trump's landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses showed that the former president's candidacy is "compelling."

"I'm a big believer we need to let the process play out: It did. And the results last night: 51% [of the vote, which included] 98 counties – that's compelling. And at this point, I think the contrast needs to be on substance and policy and records [versus Biden]," Cruz said.

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Cruz noted he is also a top senatorial election target for Democrats as he seeks a third term in the November election.

"I wear that as a badge of honor," he said of continuing to receive the ire and attention of Democrats as his re-election approaches.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Tuesday night he "enthusiastically" endorses Donald Trump as the GOP nominee in the 2024 presidential election. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"If you are a left-wing Democrat, after Donald Trump, there's nobody in the country you want to beat more than me. And Chuck Schumer has made clear I am his number one target in the country," Cruz continued. "The Democrats are going to spend $100 million this year trying to beat me and trying to flip Texas blue. Now, that ain't going to happen."

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Trump also picked up an endorsement from Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., another former 2016 primary competitor, on Sunday.

Cruz and Trump have a complicated political history. 

The firebrand conservative senator, who was the runner-up to Trump in the combustible 2016 Republican presidential nomination race, withheld his endorsement for weeks after Trump officially secured the GOP nomination eight years ago. 

The two did repair their relationship, and supported each other in the ensuing years.

But in recent weeks, sources tell Fox News that Cruz came under increasing pressure from Trump world to back the former president ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses.

Cruz, who narrowly won the 2016 Iowa caucuses over Trump and a crowded field of contenders, resisted, saying he had "an immense amount of respect for the Iowa caucuses and their procedures…I was a part of that process in 2016, so I have a special appreciation for it, and I learned intimately how unpredictable it can be."

Trump in recent weeks - on his social media platform Truth Social - also targeted Cruz over the senator's 2024 re-election bid.

The other U.S. senator in Texas, Republican Sen. John Cornyn, has said he will remain neutral in the nomination race and has emphasized he would prefer the GOP moves in a new direction. 

Fox News' Charles Creitz contributed to this report.