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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8deb0002Republican Edward "Ted" Cruz was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. He is the first Cuban-American to serve in that role for the state of Texas. Cruz announced his candidacy for the 2016 presidential primary on March 23, 2015. (You can watch the video of his announcement at the bottom of the page.)Cruz is a graduate of Harvard Law School. While in private practice, he worked on the legal team of President George W. Bush during Bush vs. Gore, the Supreme Court case that stopped the recount of disputed ballots in Florida, securing the 2000 election for Bush. Cruz then served in the U.S. Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission and, in 2003, was appointed as the Solicitor General for the state of Texas.Further Reading/Viewing:Listen to NHPR audio of Cruz on the issues right here. Video: Ted Cruz announces his 2016 run for President (via C-Span)0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8dec0000

In Final N.H. Pitch, Cruz Casts Himself as a Candidate Conservatives Can Trust

Allegra Boverman, NHPR

  On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, speaking to an estimated 300 people inside a packed American Legion Hall in Manchester, Ted Cruz’s last pitch to voters boiled down to this: The other guys in the race might say they’re running as true conservatives, but he’s the only one with the track record to prove it.

“Nobody on that debate stage stands up and says, ‘Hi, I’m an establishment moderate squish, I stand for nothing,’” Cruz said, prompting laughs from the audience. “They run” pretending to be us.”

“By the way,” he added, “The only way to be elected, they said, is to pretend to be a conservative but let everyone know I don’t really believe this stuff and I’m going to abandon it the instant I get elected, which is why I’m never going to get elected.”

Cruz asked voters to look at his record as evidence that he hasn’t backed down from his conservative principles while in office.  

As one example, Cruz noted that he managed to win the Iowa caucuses last week despite his opposition to subsidies for ethanol – a position that, he said, is as unpopular as opposing the New England Patriots in New Hampshire. (He was quick to clarify that he does not, however, oppose the hometown team.)

“On every issue, whatever your issues are – whether it’s life, whether it’s marriage, whether it’s religious liberty, whether it’s the 10th Amendment, whether it’s stopping Common Core, whether it’s privacy – don’t simply listen to the empty promises of politicians,” Cruz said. “Hold us accountable. And by the way, let me be very, very clear: Hold me accountable.”

Nodding to the importance of grassroots campaigning, Cruz thanked members of the 603 Alliance, a conservative group backing him in New Hampshire, for their work on his behalf. The organization opted to line up behind Cruz after he won an Iowa-style caucus they organized to determine their favorite candidate in the fall.

Even though plenty of people in the room were already on his side, Cruz also asked supporters to keep reaching out to others in the final hours before the primary.  

“This race will be decided by the men and women right here,” Cruz told the room. “It will be decided friend to friend and neighbor to neighbor and pastor to pastor and New Hampshire person to New Hampshire person, one at a time.”

Casey is a Senior News Editor for NHPR. You can contact her with questions or feedback at cmcdermott@nhpr.org.
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