TED CRUZ: 'One week from today will be the most important night of this campaign'

REUTERS/David Becker

After a presumed loss in the Nevada caucuses, Sen. Ted Cruz is looking ahead to Super Tuesday and sending the message that he's still very much in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

During a speech to supporters late Tuesday, Cruz stressed that "the most delegates that are awarded on a single day" will be awarded next week on Super Tuesday.

"One week from today will be the most important night of this campaign," he said.

"The role of the first four states is to narrow the field and give Super Tuesday a clear choice. And now the voters can decide," he continued.

Cruz's campaign has been hurting in recent days as real-estate mogul Donald Trump has continued to build momentum. Trump is the presumed winner of the Nevada caucuses and has been launching frequent attacks against Cruz, whom he calls a "liar" and accuses of "dirty tricks."

In his speech, Cruz congratulated Trump on his "strong evening" and then cast himself as the only candidate who could beat him.

"At this point, we've had four primaries," Cruz said. "History teaches us that nobody has ever won the nomination without winning one of the first three primaries. And there are only two people who have won one of the first three primaries. Donald Trump and us."

He continued: "The undeniable reality that the first four states have shown is that the only campaign that has beaten Donald Trump and the only campaign that can beat Donald Trump is this campaign."

Cruz won the Iowa caucuses, but came in third in New Hampshire and in South Carolina.

The odds are seemingly stacked against Cruz going forward. No Republican has previously won both New Hampshire and South Carolina and not gone on to become the eventual nominee. And Trump is leading polls in almost all of the Super Tuesday states.

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