Posted on 01/19/2015 5:23:34 PM PST by xzins
Team Ted Cruz is taking shape, and the Senate first-termer's presidential campaign could start before this spring.
The Republican senator from Texas tentatively plans to fill senior campaign positions with the triumvirate he signed last summer to expand his political operation. At the top is Jeff Roe, whose organizational title is undefined but who would be the campaign’s chief strategic and logistics decision-maker. Jason Miller would shape and oversee campaign messaging; Lauren Lofstrom would direct fundraising.
Cruz is in the process of “feeling out” additional campaign hires and prospective donors in preparation to join the field of 2016 candidates. If the senator decides to run for president, he wants to hit the ground at full speed, a senior Cruz advisor confirmed Monday.
Roe, founder of the direct mail firm Axiom Strategies, has never managed a presidential campaign. But he advised Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Perry in 2012 and is familiar with the terrain in the early primary states. Republicans who have worked with Roe describe him as a talented strategist who is capable keeping a campaign operation humming. Perhaps most importantly, Roe is a good fit for Cruz’ aggressive style.
“He is a mean, bare-knuckles brawler,” one Republican operative told the Washington Examiner.
Rounding out the team are pollster Chris Perkins, who earned plaudits for being among the few to correctly forecast November’s Georgia Senate race, and Jason Johnson, the senator’s longtime political consigliere. Nick Muzin, Cruz's deputy chief of staff in his Senate office, is steeped in South Carolina politics. He is viewed as someone who might take a leave of absence from Cruz' Senate office to join the campaign.
Johnson, meanwhile, is often referred to as Cruz’s “political brain." He is rooted in the Texas GOP establishment and has been with the senator the longest among his advisors. Johnson served as chief of staff to Greg Abbott for a period when the incoming governor was state attorney general. It was in Abbott’s office that he and Cruz, then the the Lone Star State's solicitor general, bonded. Johnson guided Cruz to second place and then victory, respectively, in Texas’ 2012 GOP primary and runoff contests.
Those two races constitute the 44-year-old lawmaker’s only experience with competitive campaigns. Cruz had a very easy time in his general election win against an under-funded, no-name Democrat. Republican insiders expect Cruz to contend for first choice among GOP primary voters who favor the most confrontational and conservative candidate. But to compete for the nomination, Cruz has to step up his game.
“His early reviews among tea party audiences have been stellar in Iowa,” a Republican insider in the Hawkeye State told the Examiner. “I don't think he can appeal as broadly in the party or in the general electorate as other candidates, but his support will be intense among those voters who have the highest anger score.”
Cruz has countered that to win the White House, Republicans must nominate a strong conservative who contrasts sharply with the Democratic nominee, likely Hillary Clinton.
Cruz has maintained a vigorous political travel schedule and been a constant presence in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — hosts, in that order, of the first three 2016 primary contests. On Sunday, he was in Myrtle Beach to address the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention. Cruz has cast himself as the conservative alternative in a field that could feature multiple Establishment and Tea Party candidates. That is consistent with the image Cruz has cultivated since bursting onto the national scene three years ago.
In 2012, Cruz defeated an Establishment favorite in his GOP Senate primary. Once on Capitol Hill, he led a campaign to derail Obamacare by leveraging a government shutdown and opposed comprehensive immigration reform plans that included a pathway to legalization for illegal immigrants. These moves helped Cruz solidify a fevered fan base, particularly among Tea Party Republicans, and positioned him as a national leader.
But competing for the presidential nomination, which will be decided by more than just the most conservative voters or those sympathetic to the Tea Party, requires organization, money and an expanded network of supporters. Cruz has to assemble all of that from scratch. If the senator is as skilled at the business of campaigning as he is debating, he could surge into the top tier of candidates and propel himself beyond South Carolina. Getting there usually depends at least somewhat on how a candidate performs in Iowa and New Hampshire.
In Iowa, Cruz is expected to face stiff competition in the struggle to be king conservative. The likely field includes former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 caucuses; former Sen. Rick Santorum, who won the 2012 caucuses; neurosurgeon Ben Carson; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal; Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, and others. In New Hampshire, the top overall contenders could include 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; New Hersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
“Cruz’s politics are likely too conservative for the New Hampshire electorate; his willingness to engage voters will serve him well here,” a Granite State GOP insider said. “Still, expectations for him here will be low. A strong showing in New Hampshire as the top conservative alternative would be a shot in Cruz’s arm.”
I really believe, and I hope to be wrong, that Jebbie will trounce both Cruz and Perry in a TX primary, with George P. calling the shots.
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OMG... apparently you do not live in Texas. That is about the most ridiculous statement I have ever seen here on FR, Theodore R. George P. Bush is a piss ant in Texas politics. The Bush money bought him his a Primary win for a low-level State office and scared off any Primary challengers. In Texas a one-eyed Bassett hound would win the General if it ran as a Republican. George P. is a freakin’ joke.
That was so nauseating.
No path to citizenship for 1.65 million illegals in Texas
When discussing what to do about the 1.65 million illegal immigrants living in Texas, Cruz weaved into the Second Amendment, alleging his opponent didn’t support gun rights. “What does this have to do with the question?” Sadler asked before fiercely denying his opponent’s allegation. Cruz again said he didn’t support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants living in America, while Sadler said the opposite, as expected.
Source: WFAA-TV Dallas-Fort Worth on 2012 Texas Senate debate , Oct 2, 2012
Give police more power to ask about immigration status
Cruz accused Dewhurst of using his position as head of the Texas Senate to kill a bill last year that would have given police more power to ask anyone they detain about their citizenship status—a charge Dewhurst denied.
Both agreed that the US has failed to secure its border with Mexico, and said they oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants and the Obama administration’s new directive allowing many young illegal immigrants brought to the US as children to be exempted from deportation.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2012 Texas Senate debates , Jun 22, 2012
Boots on the ground, plus a wall
Border wall: James and Leppert oppose a wall, Dewhurst and Cruz tout “boots on the ground” and a wall in some places.
Source: BurntOrangeReport.com on 2012 Texas Senate Debate , Apr 18, 2012
Triple the size of the Border Patrol
Cruz on immigration: Wants to triple size of Border Patrol. Says Dewhurst supported in-state tuition for kids of illegal immigrants.
Dewhurst: I have always been against an amnesty program. “If they want to be a citizen, they ought to go home and reapply.”
Dewhurst says he was against tuition for children of illegal immigrants.
Source: KVUE coverage of 2012 Texas Senate debate , Mar 29, 2012
Strengthen border security and increase enforcement
Ted Cruz has worked to strengthen border security and help ensure that America remains a nation of laws. Among other efforts, he has worked on efforts to increase penalties for felons who enter the country illegally.
Ted authored a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief on behalf of 10 states in Lopez v. Gonzales, urging the strictest enforcement of laws punishing those with prior felony convictions who entered the country illegally.
Source: Campaign website, www.tedcruz.org, “Issues” , Jul 17, 2011
Gee, getting pwned by fat Candy of all people. How humiliating.
The minute it happened I could envision liberals in news rooms and tv studios high fiving each other all across the country. The celebrations must have been giddy with delight.
On the other hand, I instantly lost respect for Romney for not showing himself to be a leader by calling her out in front of a national audience and I lost all respect for his team for not anticipating that thing in the first place.
My “Anger Score” is off the chart.
Oh, we were hurling all over the live thread when it happened.
I realized then that Romney or even McLettuce never had any intention of winning; zero was doing the bidding of the Chamber of Commerce so well there was no reason to switch horses. I’m surprised I even stuck my finger down my throat and voted for he and Ryan.
If what you say is true, and I’m not saying it isn’t, I am sure that Ted Cruz, being the brilliant man that he is, is aware of it and has a plan to combat it.
What he says is true. What the gope-STAB keep tripping over is their lack of constitutional knowledge - even states’ - that Cruz uses to pluck howitzers out of haystacks to defeat them with. They never know what hit them, and are too lazy and dishonest to plan a defense.
O boy if he did, imagine how much hysteria over his hair by the liberal media and morons. I know he wouldn’t care. Who knows perhaps later down the road he will.
I wish I had seen the live thread - my computer is at the far end of the house from the TV room.
And that thought is keeping Mr. Priebus awake nights.
It won't stop Mr. Priebus but he may start to look a little haggard as the nomination process develops.
Of course, he will also try to tie up all the money from the crony capitalists as soon as he can. Special interests have had such a lucerative past with Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama, that they will have no problem supporting the Dems and giving a limp handshake to Republicans.
I hope Mr. Cruz has good comsec, as Mr. Obama/NSA would pass any plan they discovered to anyone who could derail the Cruz campaign.
They may schedule the Fox debates for 10 p.m Eastern Time.
And the Commie/Greenie/FemiNazi hosts for prime time.
Sen. Cruz can kick but debating one person. He may get lost in a crowd.
Run, Ted, Run
TWB
Laura Ingram or Romney, is that you???
“Don’t forget; the media runs the show ...runs the debates ...reports on the debates and even tells the uninterested and low information crowd who won and why.”
Fox News will hold the first debate. Better than CNN or other liberal news organization.
We couldn’t even persuade TX voters to skip the land commissioner’s race. George P. polled about equal to Abbott and Cornyn.
Almost all the advice seems to be, “Become a RINO like the rest of us, or we’ll smear you like heck.”
The GOP has 54 senators but is still for all practical purposes in a hopeless minority.
But he's much better at it than any other Republican I can think of.
It’s all rigged, but the Republican voters will never figure out they have been “had” again.
Rock on future El Presidentie Ted Cruz
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