GOP establishment could back Ted Cruz in bid to stop Donald Trump

The GOP establishment is allegedly scrambling to block Donald Trump from locking down the Republican nomination for president -- and it might even be willing to back someone it would otherwise hate.

Senator Lindsey Graham endorsed Ted Cruz on Thursday, with the former Republican presidential candidate saying he plans to help Cruz in "every way [he] can," — a surprising statement from a man who expressed his dislike for Cruz just last month.

"If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you," Graham joked at the Washington Press Club Foundation's Congressional Dinner.

See Ted Cruz on the campaign trail:

But, while some of the establishment once laughed at the thought of Trump securing the nomination, the conversation has shifted to the damage he could do to the party.

"Hopefully, there is time to still prevent a Trump nomination, which I think would fracture the party and be damaging to the conservative movement," said Senator Marco Rubio, a former Republican presidential candidate.

And as the race goes on, far more sitting Republicans are throwing their support behind Ted Cruz than Donald Trump.

According to a list compiled by FiveThirtyEight, Trump has received just two endorsements from Republicans currently in office in March, while seven have thrown their support behind Cruz.

Regardless of mainstream support, Trump is still besting Cruz in the primaries by more than 250 delegates.