OSHKOSH, Wisconsin (AP) – The Latest on the Republican race for president (all times local):
3:05 p.m.
Donald Trump is denying allegations made by Republican presidential rival Ted Cruz that he is spreading rumors about the Texas senator’s personal life.
Trump says in a statement issued Friday that he knows nothing about the allegations on social media and in a supermarket tabloid that Cruz has cheated on his wife, Heidi.
Cruz forcefully denied the rumors on Friday, denouncing them as “garbage” and angrily accused Trump and “his henchmen” of trafficking in “slime” and “sleaze.”
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2:34 p.m.
Ted Cruz is accusing rival Donald Trump of stoking false rumors about his personal life.
The Texas senator told reporters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Friday that the Republican presidential campaign has taken a “darker turn.” Cruz is accusing Trump and “his henchmen” of spreading false rumors that Cruz has cheated on his wife, Heidi.
It’s an escalation of the back-and-forth between the two.
Trump hasn’t held a public event since Monday, and Cruz says the billionaire businessman is “hiding in Trump Tower” and campaigning via Twitter instead of meeting with voters.
Asked if he plans to vote for Trump should he win the GOP nomination, Cruz says, “I don’t make a habit of supporting people who attack my wife and my family.”