Washington Post: “For Cruz, it was just another day of brawling with leading figures from his own party — a role that has formed the cornerstone of his short political career. But for many Republicans, it crystallized an overriding problem for Cruz’s campaign: Many people simply don’t like him.”

“At a moment when he is in urgent need of a Republican army united behind him, Cruz is going into the next Tuesday’s primary here in Indiana with, at best, a platoon. The state’s Republican governor and senator are on the sidelines while Cruz is trying to shake up the race by picking Carly Fiorina as his running mate. Even as Cruz regularly talks of uniting the party, his prickly relationships with many Republicans have come back to haunt him.”

Rick Klein: “He’s pulled the goalie, flung the Hail Mary, started chucking a flurry of threes toward the good old basketball ring. Ted Cruz now has permanent company on the campaign trail – permanent so long as his campaign lasts. Choosing Carly Fiorina as his running mate is being cast as a desperate move, and it is. But at least it’s a move while he’s still playing the game. Combined with the odd alliance he formed with John Kasich, Cruz has sought to rest the entirety of his campaign on Indiana for a very good reason: a Donald Trump win there makes Trump’s path to the nomination a near-certainty.”

“The move is bold, and a little weird. But it’s a low-risk, high-reward scenario that acknowledges the reality of the next week and beyond. Fiorina sang a few notes in getting introduced, though her best tunes are aimed at both Trump and Hillary Clinton. Faced with the prospect of losing quietly or loudly, Cruz chose the latter – and to not be lonely. If he wins Indiana, choosing Fiorina will cast a new light on Cruz’s campaign and candidacy. If not, there’s more time to practice and-of-game strategy later.”