Democratic senator: Ted Cruz is like a 'lost puppy' following Donald Trump around

US Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) on Monday lashed out at Senate colleague and presidential hopeful Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over his support for real-estate mogul and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

In a tweet on Monday, McCaskill compared Cruz to a "lost puppy" hoping to scoop up Trump's followers if he implodes on the campaign trail.

Cruz has recently cozied up to the real-estate magnate. He met with Trump in New York last week. He has been perhaps the most prominent GOP defender of Trump's controversial comments about Mexican immigrants. And on Saturday, he refused to denounce Trump's disparaging comments about Sen. John McCain's (R-Arizona) military record.

Analysts have speculated that Cruz's embrace of Trump is likely part of a larger strategy to tap into the populist rage within the conservative base on which Trump has capitalized.

Politico notes that Trump is likely siphoning away support for Cruz, whose scorched-earth conservative tactics have made him similarly popular with the Republican base at the expense of the his relationship with the GOP establishment. There's lingering resentment from some Republicans in Congress over the 2013 government shutdown that Cruz helped orchestrate.