Sen. Cruz Names U.S. Sen. Bob Smith, Congressman Jim Bridenstine, and Texas Sen. Brian Birdwell.....

HOUSTON, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today named former U.S. Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire, Congressman Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma, and Texas State Sen. Brian Birdwell as co-chairs of the Cruz for President military coalition, “Vets for Ted.” Bill Connor will serve as national director.

“I am humbled and proud to have Bob, Jim, Brian, and Bill leading the ‘Vets for Ted’ military coalition,” Sen. Cruz said. “Each of these men has bravely served our country and put their lives on the line to defend the liberties we enjoy today. Their support is an honor. I am committed to ensuring our military forces are provided the resources they need to protect our homeland and promote America’s interests across the globe–and to making sure we fulfill our obligations to our veterans and their families when they return home.”

Sen. Bob Smith, who also serves as co-chair of Sen. Cruz’s New Hampshire leadership team, enlisted in United States Naval Reserve during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. He served two years of active duty with the United States Navy (1965-1967), which included one year of active duty in the Vietnam conflict aboard the U.S.S. Navasota. He afterwards served five additional years in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Smith represented the state of New Hampshire in the U. S. House of Representatives for six years (1985-1990) and the U. S. Senate for 12 years (1990-2003).

Congressman Jim Bridenstine is a decorated Navy pilot and flew combat missions off the USS Abraham Lincoln in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Operation Southern Watch in Iraq, and Operation Shock and Awe in Iraq. Later, he transitioned to the F-18 Hornet fighter at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, the parent command to TOPGUN, where he flew “Red Air” and was also an instructor. He is currently a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve where he has flown the E-2C Hawkeye, a surveillance and operations command aircraft, in Central and South America in support of America’s war on drugs. He currently represents Oklahoma’s First District and serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Birdwell is a decorated military veteran and Texas Senator. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Lamar University Army ROTC program and served the U.S. Army in numerous training deployments and two operational deployments. During his deployment to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, he was awarded the Bronze Star for Exceptional Meritorious Achievement. Birdwell is a survivor of the 9/11 terror attack on the U.S. Pentagon, which left him critically wounded and severely burned. Following 39 operations, months of hospitalization and numerous skin grafts, Birdwell made a miraculous recovery, was awarded the Purple Heart and the Legion of Merit, and went on to win special election to the Texas Senate in 2010 where he has twice been re-elected and he serves today.

Bill Connor is a decorated U.S. Army combat Infantry officer (Airborne Ranger) and served as senior U.S. military advisor in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He is an expert in geostrategic national security issues, a member of the U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team, and founding partner of National Defense Consultants. A graduate of The Citadel and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Connor was a runoff candidate for Lt. Governor and a U.S. Senate candidate in South Carolina. He is also a past GOP chairman for South Carolina’s 6th district. As national director of the Cruz for President military coalition, Connor will advise and direct the efforts to build-upon the already growing support for Cruz among military veterans and veteran-support organizations nationwide.

“This is a task I do not take lightly,” says Connor. “Sen. Cruz has a proven record showing that he understands the criticality of shoring up and rebuilding our defenses, from securing our borders to providing for the needs of our deployed and stateside troops and their families. As president, he will protect veterans and enhance the necessary trust between our men and women in uniform and their Commander-in-Chief.”

Stronger, Safer America

A safer, stronger America safeguards freedom at home and across the globe. That’s why Ted Cruz has fought tirelessly to defend our nation’s servicemen and women, to restore America’s leadership in the world, and to secure our border and streamline our legal immigration system.

Opposed the Obama Administration’s dangerous deal with Iran that would allow Iran to pursue nuclear weapons.
Spearheaded legislation passed unanimously by Congress and signed by the President to prevent known terrorists from entering the United States as ambassadors to the United Nations.
Successfully pressured the Obama Administration to lift its unprecedented FAA ban on flights to Israel after exposing the move as, in essence, an economic boycott of our strongest ally in the Middle East. The ban was lifted within 36 hours of the Senator’s actions
Championed the Expatriate Terrorist Act to prevent Americans who join ISIS from returning to the United States to commit acts of terror at home.
Introduced legislation passed by the Senate to provide rewards for information leading to the arrest of Hamas terrorists responsible for the murder of American and Israeli teenagers.
Led the charge on a bipartisan resolution passed by the Senate to condemn Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields.
Authored legislation to allow victims of the Fort Hood terrorist attack to be awarded the Purple Heart and appropriate benefits.
Joined Texas and 25 other states in a lawsuit to stop President Obama’s illegal executive amnesty.
Authored legislation to triple the size of the U.S. Border Patrol.
Authored legislation to streamline and simplify our legal immigration system by consolidating segmented visas, creating real and transparent caps, eliminating the diversity visa lottery, and treating all immigrants equally by eliminating the per-country caps.
Urged the strictest enforcement of laws punishing those with prior felony convictions who entered the country illegally in a U.S. Supreme Court Brief in Lopez v. Gonzales.
Authored legislation to ensure that members of our military deployed to combat the spread of Ebola are entitled to the same tax benefits as those serving in a combat zone.
Promoted the strengthening of existing law to prevent discrimination or retaliation against military service members who appropriately express their religious faith.
Represented more than 3 million veterans before the U.S. Supreme Court in Salazar v. Buono, defending the constitutionality of the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial. Along with co-counsel Kelly Shackelford of the Liberty Institute, then-Solicitor General Cruz fought for The American Legion, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Military Order of the Purple Heart, and the American Ex-Prisoners of War. In April 2010, the Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision in favor of the veterans.
Defended the constitutionality of the federal Solomon Amendment, which requires universities receiving federal funds to grant U.S. military recruiters equal access to campuses, notwithstanding the universities’ opposition to the military’s policies concerning sexual orientation.
Authored legislation to close a loophole in the federal “Motor Voter” law that preempts states from enforcing requirements that would ensure those registered to vote are U.S. citizens.

Brian Birdwell is consistently rated the most conservative State Senator. He was seriously wounded at the Pentagon on 9/11. He’s a great choice.

His dipwad of an opponent in his first race tried to claim that he wasn’t qualified as a Texas Resident to run because of the time he spent in a rehab hospital in Virginia.

Interestingly, the seat became open for Birdwell because the republican incumbent (to avoid a major scandal) dropped out of that race (for “health” reasons) without a democrat challenger leaving the race with one GOP primary candidate after the deadline. The establishment in Waco worked with democrats to ensure that lone conservative GOP candidate wouldn’t get 50% of the vote so that both parties could field candidates and the local GOP wouldn’t be stuck with a non-Waco conservative.

They failed. Their hand-picked establishment guy lost handily to Birdwell from Granbury. Now, the local Waco party is stuck with a non-local Senator whom is also the most conservative senator in the state.

I will say that the Waco GOP leadership has changed since then and Sen. Birdwell is now a favorite son.

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Sen. Cruz Names U.S. Sen. Bob Smith, Congressman Jim Bridenstine, and Texas Sen. Brian Birdwell co-chairs of “Vets for Ted,” Bill Connor to Serve as National Director

Stronger, Safer America