Ted Cruz Thanks Viguerie For Endorsement Raises Stakes in 2016 Campaign

Conservative HQ ^ | 12/11/2015 | CHQ Staff

[Isara]

"...the only candidate that can unite the conservatives is Ted Cruz." 

ConservativeHQ.com Chairman Richard A. Viguerie to POLITICO reporter Katie Glueck 

Reacting to CHQ Chairman Richard Viguerie's endorsement, Senator Ted Cruz told Bob Eschliman of Christian multimedia powerhouse Charisma News, "Richard Viguerie is a hero of the conservative movement... I couldn't be prouder to have his support, which should send a strong message to conservatives nationwide that our campaign is coalescing the movement. From libertarians to Tea Partiers to social and national security conservatives, people are getting behind our campaign because it is time to restore constitutional principles and reignite the promise of this great nation." 

In his coverage of the Viguerie endorsement Eschliman emphasized Mr. Viguerie's call for conservatives to unite behind Senator Cruz:

"...Republicans must nominate a candidate who we know will govern according to constitutional principles, who is capable of drawing a clear contrast with Hillary Clinton and the Democrats on the issues of importance in today's political environment, and who has the brains, talent and discipline to fight Hillary Clinton and win... That candidate is Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. To conservatives who continue to window shop I say, 'What are you waiting for? In Ted Cruz, conservatives have a candidate that's everything we want.'" 

"Ted Cruz Just Earned the Endorsements of 2 Huge Players in the Conservative Movement," trumpeted conservative-leaning IJReview, which commented "With each new endorsement, he [Cruz] looks more and more like a conservative juggernaut." 

IJR interestingly enough emphasized Viguerie's endorsement for its point that, "If Ted Cruz has made enemies among his Senate colleagues, it is for all the right reasons." 

The conservative-leaning Washington Examiner, which ranks Cruz first in its newest GOP presidential power rankings, also focused on Viguerie's point that Ted Cruz is the candidate that can unite conservatives because he has made his establishment enemies for all the right reasons. 

In his article "Conservative fundraising icon Viguerie endorses Cruz for president" reporter Ryan Lovelace quoted Viguerie's endorsement noting:

"One of the oft-repeated criticisms of Ted Cruz is that he is not well-liked by the grey beards of the Capitol Hill Republican establishment," [Viguerie wrote.] "If Ted Cruz has made enemies among his Senate colleagues, it is for all the right reasons. Along with Ted Cruz's talent and zest for political combat, and consistent record of supporting conservative policy solutions, goes a methodical self-discipline and self-control that distinguish him from the longtime front-runner who has been the other message-carrier for the conservative grassroots and their demand for change in Washington - Donald Trump." 

Beyond the coverage in the conservative media CHQ Chairman Richard A. Viguerie's endorsement of Ted Cruz for president has set-off a wave of establishment media coverage as reporters and pundits grapple with the rise of the conservative stalwart they have long counted-out in the 2016 race. 

POLITICO, the favorite online outlet of Capitol Hill's Republican establishment, likewise picked-up on the counterintuitive element of Viguerie's endorsement asked Viguerie why he supported Cruz and he responded: "It's almost the reverse of why not support Cruz? I say that to all conservatives; this is the candidate we've been waiting for for 25 years. 

"We can't have somebody like Mitt Romney, who is not a fighter, again," Mr. Viguerie continued in the POLITICO interview. 

He also said Cruz's short list of friends in the Senate "endears us to him." 

"If the Republican leaders don't like him, that's why we like him," Viguerie told POLITICO reporter Eliza Collins. 

POLITICO also trumpeted "Cruz emerges as Iowa's new favorite" in another leading article on the Viguerie endorsement. 

Headlines & Global News (HNGN.com) said "The recent rise of Cruz in recent state and national polls coincides with two endorsements among social conservatives announced on Wednesday. Both the National Organization for Marriage and conservative activist Richard A. Viguerie pledged their support for Cruz..." 

Even the liberal New York Times noted Mr. Viguerie's call for conservatives to unite behind Cruz, with reporter Matt Flegenheimer getting it right in his article, "Ted Cruz Adds Two More Endorsements From Social Conservatives."  

Flegenheimer wrote "Mr. Viguerie similarly called Mr. Cruz 'the only candidate who can unite the conservative coalition" in both a primary and general election. "To conservatives who continue to window-shop I say, 'What are you waiting for?'"  

Reacting to the coverage of Mr. Viguerie's endorsement Senator Cruz told the Washington Times, "This is an endorsement that simultaneously sends a signal to political observers and motivates active Caucus voters... The time has come for us to coalesce. If we as conservatives come together in Iowa, and across the country, we will win."

[Isara]

[Isara]

Ted Cruz: “This is an endorsement that simultaneously sends a signal to political observers and motivates active Caucus voters... The time has come for us to coalesce. If we as conservatives come together in Iowa, and across the country, we will win.”

[Psalm 144]

IN BEFORE THE POLKA DOTS!

And yeah, Viguerie is the real deal. A conservative before the off-true hyphenated not-cons came along. This endorsent actually does impress me.

[Isara]