Ted Cruz’s case against the fast-rising Marco Rubio is that he is “the chosen one,” anointed by the media as the GOP’s establishment candidate.

Both during remarks to voters at a sports bar here and while responding to reporters outside, Mr. Cruz delivered unprompted shots at his Florida rival, tethering him to past nominees who have lost general elections.

“I understand that in the media newsrooms and in the Washington establishment circles, Marco is the chosen one,” Mr. Cruz said outside a sports bar here. He went on to dismiss Mr. Rubio’s third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, which Mr. Cruz won. “In the media’s telling, bronze is the new gold.”

Mr. Rubio’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

…

“The media adores him,” Mr. Cruz said. “These are the same people who told us Bob Dole was the electable one, that told us John McCain was the electable one, that told us Mitt Romney was the electable one. You’re always the electable one until you win the nomination, and then you cannot possibly win the election.”

Mr. Cruz said declarations of Mr. Rubio’s momentum lie in a coordinated effort to nominate a candidate more likely to side with Democratic priorities.

“He’s the one who has agreed with the Democrats the most,” he said of Mr. Rubio. “That was their reasoning with Bob Dole and John McCain and Mitt Romney.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/02/04/cruz-marco-rubio-is-the-medias-chosen-one/