Ted Cruz hasn't mentioned Donald Trump as he campaigns in Iowa with Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence.
The Texas senator appeared Thursday with Pence at a rally outside Des Moines.
He lauded Pence and pushed for the re-election of Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. But the onetime bitter rival of Trump never mentioned the Republican nominee by name in a 14-minute speech. He did say though that "we're going to defeat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election."
Cruz's remarks echoed the speeches he gave when he ran for the Republican nomination. He called for taking "the boot off the back of the necks of small businesses" and repealing "every word" of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.
Meanwhile, Pence refuses to say whether Paul Ryan should be re-elected speaker of the House, withholding support for a close friend and ally in the heated final days of the campaign.
Pence's comments in an interview with National Review come as Ryan faces rumblings of a leadership challenge from House conservatives.
Earlier this week, Ryan traveled to Indiana to campaign for Republican candidate Trey Hollingsworth in Indiana's 9th Congressional District.