--- title: Rep. Peter King Says He’ll ‘Take Cyanide’ if Ted Cruz Wins description: Rep. Peter King on Tuesday said he would poison himself to death if Ted Cruz secures the Republican nomination for president. canonical: https://time.com/4300187/peter-king-ted-cruz-cyanide/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-19T23:42:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:48:13.752Z article:section: Politics og:title: New York Congressman Says He’ll ‘Take Cyanide’ if Ted Cruz Wins og:description: “I hate Ted Cruz, and I think I'll take cyanide if he ever got the nomination" og:url: https://time.com/4300187/peter-king-ted-cruz-cyanide/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d138aabc6693fb6/69888fd42dce0141df9e8bc2/peter-king.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Rep. Peter King og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: New York Congressman Says He’ll ‘Take Cyanide’ if Ted Cruz Wins twitter:description: “I hate Ted Cruz, and I think I'll take cyanide if he ever got the nomination" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d138aabc6693fb6/69888fd42dce0141df9e8bc2/peter-king.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New York Congressman Says He’ll 'Take Cyanide' if Ted Cruz Wins Nomination > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Apr 19, 2016 11:42 PM UTC  Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., walks down the House steps following a series of votes on April 19, 2012. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., walks down the House steps following a series of votes on April 19, 2012. Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call,Inc.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Apr 19, 2016 11:42 PM UTC Rep. Peter King on Tuesday said he would [poison himself to death](http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/peter-king-i-d-endorse-kasich-if-he-had-a-shot-668985411537) if Ted Cruz secures the Republican nomination for president. The Republican lawmaker from New York made the comment during an appearance on MSNBC’s _Morning Joe_ as [primary](http://time.com/4299356/new-york-primary-results-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-donald-trump-ted-cruz/?xid=homepage) voters in the state were set to cast their ballots. “I hate Ted Cruz, and I think I’ll take cyanide if he ever got the nomination,” he said. King has previously voiced his distaste for the Texas senator. He said “any New Yorker who even thinks of voting for Ted Cruz should have their head examined,” earlier this month on the _Joe Piscopo Show_ on AM 970 The Answer. “I just can’t stand that guy,” he said at the time, according to [_Buzzfeed_](http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/peter-king-new-yorkers-voting-for-cruz-should-have-their-hea#.ud0rzLEeQ). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4300187/peter-king-ted-cruz-cyanide/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4300187/peter-king-ted-cruz-cyanide/"},"headline":"New York Congressman Says He’ll 'Take Cyanide' if Ted Cruz Wins Nomination","datePublished":"2016-04-19T23:42:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:48:13.752Z","description":"“I hate Ted Cruz, and I think I'll take cyanide if he ever got the nomination\"","url":"https://time.com/4300187/peter-king-ted-cruz-cyanide/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d138aabc6693fb6/69888fd42dce0141df9e8bc2/peter-king.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d138aabc6693fb6/69888fd42dce0141df9e8bc2/peter-king.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Rep. 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