Posted on 01/24/2015 3:51:41 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The Texas conservative and his team are trying to lock down a state director for his White House run.
DES MOINES -- Ted Cruz's presidential campaign in Iowa is unofficially underway.
The Texas senator and his lieutenants have been making calls to top Iowa activists and consultants for the past two weeks, multiple Republican sources told National Journal, hoping to lock down a state director for his White House campaign.
Cruz has not yet made that critical hire, the sources said.
But he's making other moves in this first nominating state.
At the end of a fiery speech here Saturday to the Iowa Freedom Summit, Cruz instructed his cheering audience to send a text message with the word "Constitution" to the number 33733. Iowans all over the auditorium could be seen whipping out their cell phones and punching keys. Within moments, anyone who sent the text got this reply: "Together let's bring bold, clear leadership to America." The message included a link: " tedcruz.org."
It was an innovative way to collect contact information from masses of committed Iowa conservatives. It also erased any remaining doubts about Cruz's intention to run for president -- even if he downplayed the move, with a smile, when asked about it after his speech.
"What we're doing is, we're working to build a grassroots army in Iowa and all across the country," Cruz said. "Because the only way we're going to turn this country around -- it's not going to come from Washington. It's got to come from the American people. "
Judging from his performance Saturday, Cruz won't have trouble recruiting Iowans for his "army."
The Texas senator received a rock-star reception from the conservative crowd, which began cheering upon the first mention of his name. He delivered a speech full of conservative objectives – "repeal Obamacare" and "abolish the IRS," for instance – that was interrupted repeatedly by applause.
He suggested taking the 110,000 current employees of the IRS and sending them instead to guard the southern border. "Somewhat jokingly," he said of the plan. (The side benefit, he laughed, would the agents would scare away would-be illegal immigrants.)
Most notably, Cruz positioned himself to the right of all his potential rivals in the 2016 field. He warned the audience that all of the Republican contenders would fashion themselves as true conservatives when they are not.
"Talk is cheap," he said of his fellow Republicans. He then drew from the Bible – as he did elsewhere in the speech – saying, "The Word tells us, 'You will know them by their fruit.'" Many in the audience knowingly murmured the words along with him.
"Show me where you stood up and fought," Cruz challenged potential rivals on issue after issue, from Obamacare to gay marriage to the Common Core education standards.
The theme of Cruz's speech was "The Miracle of America" -- a message the senator was road-testing as a potential 2016 campaign slogan.
The message, as delivered here, touched on everything from promoting upward mobility to defending religious liberties to advocating a muscular U.S. foreign policy. Cruz told the crowd that "each of us have seen miracles every day," and shared with the evangelical audience how his father left him and his mother many years ago, only to become a Christian and come back to the family.
Cruz promised the crowd that even though times are tough in America, a "miracle" could be on the horizon. He said the country's current challenges are surmountable when considering the historic triumphs over Britain in the Revolutionary War and the Nazis in World War II.
"We have done it before," Cruz exclaimed. "We can do it again!"
I texted him and he sent me a pizza!
j/k I did text him though, and now Ted Cruz is a contact on my phone! Sonic is the only other commercial contact I have.
I just did too. It did work!!
RE: 7
I agree. And I grew up in Iowa and really never knew why my state, (at that time), was in that position.
Sonic the restaurant?
love their cherry limeade
I just did and the same thing happened as described in the article.
Go Ted Go!!!
RINOS Cruzing for a bruisin’
Any chance of a Cruz/Palin or Palin/Cruz ticket? Seems like a powerful team.
And Iowa is a lovely state with great people.
GOP Nominee caucuses should be rotated among numerous states.
“Did I miss anything?”
______________________________________
Yeah....Cruz looks like Joe McCarthy; is that one of the favorite inane yaps coming from the mouths of the idiots on the left?
Go Ted!
Sadly, there are probably just enough low-information "R" voters who will fall for the Huckster.
“is” should be “isn’t.”
One Dope from Hope was already too many.
If Cruz is the nominee, then we need to start planning the 2017 Free Republic inaugural ball.
Ted’s my guy. Some of the others are good too but Ted is the best!
I loved Ted’s speech .. and I love it when he just talks and walks .. and never looks at notes. It means it’s in his heart .. and he doesn’t need notes.
Gov Perry’s speech was great also.
I’m recording the oncoming session which starts at 6p PST.
Supposed to be more of Ted Cruz, etc.
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