--- 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: 2026-03-31T09:31:26.292Z 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=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 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=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New York Congressman Says He’ll 'Take Cyanide' if Ted Cruz Wins Nomination  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). Rep. 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