Washington ( CNN ) -- Republicans are doomed in 2016 if they again nominate a candidate like Mitt Romney or John McCain , Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday . Cruz , a tea party favorite who is considering a presidential bid , said his party needs to nominate a `` strong conservative '' to win back the White House in 2016 . If not , Hillary Clinton will be president , he said in an interview on CNBC . When asked if former Florida Gov . Jeb Bush is too far to the left to fit the conservative bill , the junior senator from Texas said he is a `` fan of Jeb Bush 's '' but added that `` we need to learn from history . '' `` We need to look to history and what works and what does n't and the one thing is clear is if Republicans run another candidate in the mold of a Bob Dole , or a John McCain , or a Mitt Romney â€ ” and let me be clear , all three of those are good , honorable men . They 're decent men . They 're patriots , '' Cruz said . `` But if we run another candidate in the mold of a Bob Dole , or a John McCain , or Mitt Romney , we will end up with the same result , which is millions of people will stay home on Election Day . '' `` And if we run another candidate like that , Hillary Clinton will be president , '' Cruz said . It 's not the first time Cruz has criticized Dole , McCain and Romney 's candidacies . Just this spring at the Conservative Political Action Conference Cruz pointed to the three former nominees as examples of `` when you do n't stand and draw a clear distinction , when you do n't stand for principle , Democrats celebrate . '' Cruz drew fire from Dole and McCain for those remarks with Dole saying Cruz needed to `` check the record before passing judgment . '' On Thursday Cruz stressed the urgency of straying from the `` mold '' of those three past nominees because `` there is an urgency . The states have never been higher . '' `` I think eight more years down this road we risk doing irreparable damage to the greatest nation in the history of the world , '' Cruz said . Romney and his family have said it 's unlikely he 'll run in 2016 , but it 's not completely out of the question and Romney has repeatedly turned down opportunities to shut down voices in the party calling on him to run a third time for president .
CNBC asked Ted Cruz what he thought about rumors that Jeb Bush might run for president . It 's not the first time Cruz has slammed perceived moderate Republican candidates . Cruz said Hillary Clinton would be president if the president does n't switch parties in 2016 .