Even as 1^st District Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador was speaking last night about criminal justice reform, the National Review was breaking the news that Labrador is endorsing Ted Cruz for president – even though Cruz is an outspoken opponent of a bipartisan Senate bill on reducing mandatory minimums for non-violent drug offenders out of concern over a “crime wave.” Idaho Public TV reporter Melissa Davlin points this out in a blog post on her “Idaho Reports” blog here.

She spoke with Labrador after his talk last night, and reported that he wouldn’t confirm the endorsement, which the National Review attributed to “sources close to the campaign,” adding that Labrador is the latest in a “string of Freedom Caucus members to back Cruz.”

Labrador told Davlin that when looking at candidates, he looks at their full record, not stances on single bills.  “Every person who is running for president disagrees with me on one or more issue - there’s no such thing as a perfect candidate,” he said. You can read Davlin’s full post here.

 UPDATE: Labrador issued this statement late Wednesday, endorsing Cruz:

“Senator Ted Cruz has always been a stalwart defender of the constitution and a tireless advocate for conservative principles. Americans know Washington is broken. Ted Cruz is the only candidate that will truly change the way Washington works, restore the balance of power between the presidency and the American people, and advance the principles of freedom and liberty for all Americans, not just the privileged few. It's time for all conservatives to unite behind the one candidate that can win in November and defeat the Washington establishment.”