Ted Cruz worked to consolidate support from Iowa conservatives Tuesday with the help of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, while rival Donald Trump claimed Cruz was “nervous” with less than a week until voting kicks off in Iowa.

A day after nabbing the endorsement from his former primary rival, Cruz planned seven stops with Perry in central Iowa, joined by other bold-name conservatives backing Cruz. Though lagging behind Trump nationally, Cruz is locked in a cutthroat race with Trump in Iowa as the broader Republican Party slowly comes around to the likelihood that one of the two could be their nominee.

“He’s so nervous. He’s such a mess,” Trump told ABC’s “Good Morning America,” dismissing questions raised by Cruz about his record on abortion. Touting his recent endorsement from Sarah Palin, Trump teased another big endorsement he said would be coming later Tuesday, though he didn’t disclose who it would be.

Cruz has sought to avoid a personal war of words with Trump, whose supporters he’s working to peel off in Iowa and other early-voting states. Both candidates are seeking to capitalize on a strain in the GOP hungry for an insurgent conservative that can shake up the status quo.

The backbiting among the two leading GOP candidates came as the leading Democratic contenders fought over whose record of fighting for economic fairness has been the most consistent, effective and tested.

Clinton, in a television ad released Tuesday airing in Iowa, argued she’s spent her life fighting and won’t stop now. The ad uses archival footage of to paint a chronological picture of her career over many decades, and in a twist on the required tagline, she says, “I’m Hillary Clinton and I’ve always approved this message.”

Bernie Sanders, locked in a tight race with Clinton in Iowa, acknowledged in a town hall forum Monday night that his plan for free public college tuition and government-run health care would raise taxes — an unusual admission from a presidential candidate. But he defended the proposal as a way to eliminate insurance premiums and ensure universal coverage.

“We are touching a nerve with the American people who understand that establishment politics just aren’t bold enough,” Sanders said.

(AP)