If Texas Sen. Ted Cruz becomes the Republican nominee, Rep. Peter King, a fellow Republican, might take the route of ancient armies when faced with defeat: poison. 
 
 "Well, first of all, in case anybody gets confused, I'm not endorsing Ted Cruz. I hate Ted Cruz," King said on MSNBC. And not to put too fine a point on this - King is a Republican. 
 
 "And I think I'll take cyanide if he got the nomination," King finished. 
 
 Ouch. 
 
 King has been an outspoken critic of Cruz, even at point saying, "Any New Yorker who even thinks of voting for Ted Cruz should have their head examined." 
 
 Does this mean King is going to vote for the overwhelming favorite and native son, business mogul Donald Trump, in Tuesday's New York primaries? Not quite. 
 
 "I think you are going to see Donald Trump scoring a big victory tonight," King said. "I do not endorse Donald Trump. In fact, I actually voted by absentee ballot for John Kasich. I'm not endorsing John, but I voted for him to really send a message." 
 
 To be clear, it's not an endorsement of the current Ohio governor. It is just a vote, the same rationale former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani used in his non-endorsement and vote for Trump. 
 
 When pressed by MSNBC hosts why he wouldn't just come out and endorse Kasich, King said, "First of all, it's not a fear, I endorsed Marco Rubio and he lost and I stopped that now. With John Kasich, if I thought that John Kasich had a viable chance, I'd come out and endorse him. But I want to keep my powder dry because this may go to the convention." 
 
 King also had some not so subtle criticism of Trump. 
 
 "The likelihood is Donald Trump is going to be at the nomination. I want Donald Trump to know that if he wants to support our Republicans, he's gotta get more substance, he's got to really learn what he's talking about." 
 
 King continued. 
 
 "He can't just be talking off the top of his head and making reckless charges, so really what I'm saying is that also, it's a good suggestion that maybe John Kasich would be a good choice of Vice President." 
 
 Trump is the overwhelming favorite to win the New York primary on Tuesday and to take home most of the 95 delegates at stake. The latest CBS battleground tracker has Trump at 54 percent in the state, with Cruz at 21 percent, followed by Kasich at 19 percent. 

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 Rep. Peter King joked Tuesday that he'd "take cyanide" if Sen. Ted Cruz won the GOP presidential nomination. Peter King: I hate Ted Cruz and I voted for John Kasich 
 
 Peter King hates Ted Cruz and thinks Donald Trump will win big in New York’s Republican primary Tuesday, but he cast his ballot for John Kasich. 
 
 “I hate Ted Cruz, and I think I’ll take cyanide if he ever got the nomination,” the New York congressman told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Now, having said that, I think you’re going to see Donald Trump scoring a big victory tonight. I have not endorsed Donald Trump. In fact, I actually voted by absentee ballot for John Kasich.” 
 
 King, who initially endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, said he voted for the Ohio governor to send a message and added that his vote wasn’t equivalent to an endorsement because Kasich has no “viable chance” to win the GOP nomination. 
 
 “I think he’s a real possibility, but I also — the likelihood is Donald Trump is going to get the nomination,” King said. “I want Donald Trump to know that if he wants the support of Republicans, he’s gotta get more substance. He’s gotta really learn what he’s talking about and can’t just be talking off the top of his head and making reckless charges.” 
 
 Kasich may be a good vice-presidential pick, King said, though the governor has been adamant that he isn’t interested in being anyone’s veep. “To come out and endorse someone means that you think right now they have a realistic chance of winning,” King said. “I don’t think John does.” 
 
 King, who suggested earlier this month that any New Yorker who considers voting for Cruz have their head examined, said he got heartburn after co-host Joe Scarborough mentioned his name in the same sentence as the Texas senator.
– There's not endorsing someone, and then there's this: "I hate Ted Cruz, and I think I'll take cyanide if he ever got the nomination." So says GOP congressman Peter King of New York City on his state's primary day, reports Politico. He made the comments on MSNBC's Morning Joe program, during which he predicted a big win for Donald Trump. Not that he voted for Trump, either: "I actually voted by absentee ballot for John Kasich." King further explained that he chose not to endorse Kasich because the Ohio governor doesn't have a "viable" chance of winning. "I want to keep my powder dry because this may go to the convention," he said, per CBS News.