Washington(CNN) Ted Cruz's new running mate, Carly Fiorina, said Thursday that Donald Trump can't declare victory until he's crossed the goal line for the Republican nomination.
"If the Steelers are on the five-yard line it's close, but it's not a touchdown. So Donald Trump can get close, but it's not a touchdown until you have 1,237 delegates," Fiorina told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day."
Fiorina also defended the Republican nominating process, despite polling showing that an overwhelming number of voters in Tuesday's contests feel the candidate with the most delegates heading into the Cleveland convention should get the nomination, even if they don't get to 1,237 needed to secure the nomination.
"The delegate system has been in place a long time and contested conventions haven't happened in a while, but there's nothing untoward about them and nothing unprecedented about them," she said.
Trump trolled Fiorina on Twitter shortly before her CNN interview, writing, "Lyin' Ted Cruz, who can never beat Hillary Clinton and has NO path to victory, has chosen a V.P. candidate who failed badly in her own effort."
Fiorina also defended her criticism of Cruz three years ago, after he helped spur the government shutdown over Obamacare.
"I think Ted Cruz's tactics were wrong, there's no honor in charging a hill that you know you can't take," Fiorina had said in 2013.
But she said Thursday that even she and her husband don't agree on everything, let alone she and running mate.
"Ted Cruz and I have differed on tactics. I thought that it probably wasn't going to work to repeal Obamacare when we didn't have a majority in the Senate. On the other hand, I think that fight, frankly, forced the Republican Party, when they did have a majority, to vote to repeal Obamacare," she said.