Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Donald Trump's campaign has been "immensely beneficial" to his own campaign but added that his supporters will soon turn to him as they become "more educated."
"I think Donald’s campaign has been immensely beneficial for our campaign and the reason is, he’s framed the central issue of the Republican primary as, who will stand up to Washington," Cruz told "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd.
"Well, the natural follow up if that’s the question is, who has actually stood up to Washington?" Cruz continued, adding that he's the only one with the proven record of standing up to both Democrats and Republicans.
Cruz said that "as voters get more educated, study the candidates, listen to the candidates in person," conservatives are getting behind his candidacy.
The firebrand Texas senator has made few friends in Washington, even from his own party, with his no-compromise tactics that have on one occasion led to a government shutdown.
Cruz continues to poll near the top of the second tier of candidates, coming in tied for fourth with 6 percent support in the latest NBC News online poll.
"You know others have gone out of their way to smack (Trump), I haven’t," Cruz noted.
