Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to endorse Ted Cruz today for president

HOUSTON (Christian Examiner) – Hours shy of an official endorsement in Houston, a YouTube video showing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott endorsing Sen. Ted Cruz was posted by the Cruz campaign late last night.

Abbott will endorse Cruz in Houston at a 1 p.m. event today, campaign officials told CNN.

"After 8 years of relentless attacks on our values from this White House, it's our duty as Texas conservatives to support a leader we can trust to restore our values and move this country forward," Abbott said in the video message. "That's why I'm supporting Ted Cruz for president."

Noting Cruz is a "constitutionalist," Abbott noted, "We need to deliver."

"Ted Cruz is our candidate, now let's do our part to take this country back," Abbott said.

With over 5,000 members, Houston's First Baptist Church has also confirmed that its senior pastor, Gregg Matte, has endorsed the GOP candidate for president.

Second Baptist Church, where Cruz attended as a teenager, in 2013 was the largest church in the Southern Baptist Convention, with nearly 26,000 members, and according to Outreach Magazine is the second largest church in America, with Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston being the largest, with over 43,000 in attendance. The magazine lists five of 15 of America's largest churches in Texas.