David Rutz reports at the Washington Free Beacon:

Carly Fiorina, the only woman who ran for the 2016 Republican nomination, endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) on Wednesday in a surprise appearance in Miami, Florida.

Fiorina praised Cruz as a "leader and a reformer," and as a true "constitutional conservative" who had the best chance to beat frontrunner Donald Trump, saying "it is time to unite" behind him. She relayed a story that she went to vote in the Virginia primary earlier this month and, even though she saw her own name, she checked the box for Cruz.

"Part of her reason, she said, was that Cruz bucked the 'status quo' as a senator in Washington," Rutz reports.

"He's willing to take on the status quo in Washington, D.C., whether it's replacing the IRS or finally fixing the Veterans Administration so our veterans get the care that they deserve, or finally fixing our immigration problems," Fiorina said in her speech, which can be seen on Youtube.

"I can tell you from personal experience," she said, "in order to lead, you must challenge the status quo, and when you challenge the status quo, guess what. You do more than ruffle feathers. You make enemies. It is part of it. It is the price of leadership."

As Rutz reports, "Fiorina added she was 'horrified' by the prospect of Trump winning the nomination, but party leaders would not be able to lead the fight against him."

"We’re going to have to beat Donald Trump at the ballot box, and the only guy who can beat Donald Trump is Ted Cruz," Fiorina told the rally.

Fiorina also made the case that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton "are two sides of the same coin."

And that coin is an "incompetent and corrupt" establishment coin.

Therefore, neither Trump nor Clinton are going to "reform the system," because "they are the system," Fiorina said.

"Hillary Clinton has made millions of dollars selling access and influence from the inside, and Donald Trump has made billions of dollars" operating from outside-in, "buying people like Hillary Clinton."

In short: "They are the system. They will not reform it."

As she concluded, Fiorina said, "There are big differences between progressives and conservatives. And we need to remember those differences as you head to the ballot box on Tuesday. . . .

"We, as conservatives, we know that no one of us is any better than any other one of us.

"We know that each of us is gifted by God. We know that all of us want to live lives of dignity and purpose and meaning.

"And we know that our values, our principles, our policies work better to lift people up regardless of their circumstances.

"It is progressives who believe that some are smarter than others, some are better than others, so it's okay if some decide for others and choose for others. That is not who we are.

"So my fellow conservatives, my fellow Republicans, you have a very important job on Tuesday. And I say to you: It is time.

"It is time to take our party back. It is time to take our government back. It is time to take our country back.

"And so, it is time now to unite behnd the one man who can beat Donald Trump, who can beat Hillary Clinton, who can beat the D.C. cartel. It is time to unite behind Ted Cruz."

"Cruz and Fiorina embraced on the stage after her speech, which was enthusiastically received," Rutz reports.

"Trump won Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii on Tuesday, while Cruz took Idaho, making the GOP fight look increasingly like a two-man race. Trump leads the delegate count with 458, with Cruz in second at 359. Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the other two remaining candidates, are well behind," Rutz concludes.

Watch on Youtube the Fiorina endorsement of Ted Cruz.