Posted on 09/04/2015 12:57:57 PM PDT by Isara
Longtime Ted Cruz supporter Mary Joe Carson, 79, of Forney, proudly showcased a “Ted Cruz for President” campaign button she purchased in 2014 at the Republican state convention.
Perched in the front row, Ms. Carson was the first to arrive at the Lone Star Event Center on Thursday to hear the presidential candidate and U.S. Senator speak. She drove two-and-a-half hours from Dallas and arrived in Tyler at 1 p.m.
Slowly, other supporters filed in, forming a sea of red, white and blue.
With her purse in her lap and her fingers tightly woven together, Ms. Carson and a group of friends waited for three hours to hear Cruz’s message.
Ms. Carson, who serves on the Kaufman County Tea Party Patriots steering committee, said the main draw to the senator in the crowded GOP field is the strength of his word.
“He believes in the Constitution and will govern based on the Constitution,” she said. "When he says something, he stands by it.”
On the opposite end of the row sat 59-year-old Terry Watkins, who drove 100 miles to “cheer him on to the White House.” She said it was the fifth time she heard Cruz speak.
Ms. Watkins, of Bogata, Texas, said Cruz “is the smartest guy in the room.”
“If they give him a chance in the debates, he (will do well), because he is so intelligent.”
The Driver family, of Royce City, near Rockwall, stayed up late into the evening making their own patriotic shirts.
Pamela Driver, 32, sported a white shirt emblazoned with “Moms Love Cruz,” while her two children John Paul, 9, and Jamie, 11, sported a matching garb printed with “Kids Love Cruz.” Jamie even made matching earrings and added patriotic temporary tattoos to her cheek.
Mrs. Driver said she just finished Cruz’s book and respected him for being a Washington outsider.
It was important to her to make sure her children witness the process of selecting a new president.
“I want to make sure they are part of the process, and that they understand that freedom isn’t always (free) and that they have to select their candidate,” Mrs. Driver said. “I always take them with me when I go to vote.”
Mixed in the crowd were electricians Chad Russell and Preston McBee, who took the day off and came in from Shreveport.
The pair said they respected the senator’s stance on the Affordable Care Act and immigration.
“He says a lot of things he knows he’s going to catch flack for, but it’s what he believes,” Russell said.
Teacher David Henry brought nine students from his Regents Academy government class in Nacogdoches to the rally to learn about politics. He said the class is studying political philosophy, and he thought this would be a good opportunity for them to hear and see a candidate speak.
Sarah Coburn, 28, of Tyler, a stay-at-home mother, came to her first presidential candidate rally with her 17-month-old daughter. She said she hasn’t decided who she will vote for yet and wanted to learn more about Cruz.
She said she doesn’t vote based on a candidate’s political party. Instead, she considers their experience, past work, behavior and actions.
Near the entrance to the event center, homeschool students Ben White, 17, and Hayden Sparks, 17, handed out Cruz stickers and copies of the U.S. Constitution.
“I’m a strong conservative, and I believe that religious freedom is under attack,” said Sparks, of Bullard, who senses a calling to run for public office in the future. “I believe that we (must) protect religious freedom, and we must have a president who protects the First Amendment.”
White, of Swan, said he came out because he thinks Cruz is the best candidate for president.
“He’s a proven conservative, and he will uphold the rule of law,” he said. “He’ll have a strong foreign policy presence and he upholds Christian values in a world that’s so eager to tear them down.”
Staff writer Emily Guevara contributed to this report.
BUMP!
Trump just announced a rally in Texas at a place that seats 21,000. Love Cruz but if we’re talking about impressive numbers, well...
Anyone know how the ticket sales are going for this rally? I know they are free, but one still has to sign up for them.
Those are pretty impressive. Tyler area has about 200k people, and for over 1,000 to show up at a mid-afternoon event is pretty good. And his other events have had much higher attendance.
The DFW metroplex has ~7Mil. A full 20k attendance is about .3%. You’re trying to equate a mid-size town event with one held in the largest metroplex in the south.
He needs to ditch the Levi’s and go with a pair of Stranglers.
I think Cruz is deliberately hitting smaller towns that are usually passed over by candidates. Personally I think its a wise move that fits with his feeling that the inside the beltway and media types look down on flyover country people.
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