Ted Cruz leads a prayer with 14,000 cheering evangelicals in S.C.

Washington Post ^ | February 12 at 8:00 PM | Philip Rucker

[SoConPubbie]

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Many of the Republican presidential candidates descended Friday on Greenville ahead of Saturday's CBS debate.

But only one was savvy enough to get himself enlisted as the opening act of a throbbing, trembling Christian rock concert that packed 14,000 evangelicals into a downtown arena on Friday night.

So here came Ted Cruz, striding onto the catwalk of a stage, beaming under the spotlight, leading the crowd in prayer, asking them to unite behind him in next Saturday's primary election, and jumping up like a basketball player high-fiving fans as he walked into the locker rooms in the bowels of the arena.

"Welcome to Winter Jam -- and to God be the glory," the Texas senator said.

Winter Jam is a touring, four-hour show featuring born-again Christian rock and rap artists. It performed at Greenville's Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Friday night.

Ted Cruz about to address 14,000 (!) pumped up evangelicals in Greenville. Opening act of Christian arena concert pic.twitter.com/SYBIPCVdtz

- Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) February 12, 2016

For any Republican politician, this was a captive and prized audience. Evangelical Christians are an especially influential voting block in South Carolina, especially in the Greenville area, known as the Upcountry.

Cruz gave about six minutes of remarks and prayer at the start of the concert. He thanked the crowd "for standing unapologetically with Jesus, for confessing your faith with love."

Cruz talked about religious liberty being "under assault," but said that across the country "people are waking up."

"Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian values," Cruz said. "Those values of life and marriage are under assault, religious liberty is under assault, and yet the American people are rising up."

Cruz did not attack any rivals, nor did he make an overt political pitch. But he cast himself as a champion of social conservative principles,

[kanawa]

I could have written that post.

[Faith65]

I am glad you are happy. I think it would be hard to leave the states for me but something that I have been considering lately. Sell everything and go. But where?