Posted on 08/19/2015 7:18:43 PM PDT by Isara
Iowa radio host Steve Deace, who is influential in the state’s conservative circles, is slated to endorse Ted Cruz on his show on Wednesday.
In a statement share with POLITICO and echoed on his show, Deace said that Cruz has demonstrated he can win the nomination through his fundraising haul and his campaign infrastructure, while remaining true to conservative values.
“Ted Cruz presents exactly what we’ve been waiting for, an end to the Washington Cartel’s false choice between our principles and electability,” the statement read. “No one can question Ted’s courage of conviction and his commitment to our principles. But he’s also raised the resources, and put the sort of national campaign together it takes to actually defeat the GOP establishment for the nomination. This makes him our best chance to offer the American people a real choice and not an echo for a change, and that’s why he has earned our support.”
Cruz, whose official campaign has raised more than $14 million, has also been buoyed by deep-pocketed supporters fueling his super PACs, making him the second best-funded GOP candidate overall after Jeb Bush. It’s a phenomenon he often points to on the campaign trail to show that he will have the resources to stay in the race for as long as necessary.
The Deace endorsement is a coup for Cruz, who was once expected to dominate in Iowa, but has not yet caught fire in the polls there as Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Scott Walker have — nor has he visited as frequently as several of his Republican rivals.
But he is aiming to change that: Cruz will return to Iowa Friday for a day at the state fair, followed by a rally to demonstrate support for religious liberty, a hot-button issue for grass-roots activists. The visit comes as a number of polls in Iowa, including one from CNN/ORC, show him making gains in the Hawkeye State.
Deace said Wednesday that he had selected Cruz from a final list of four candidates: The senator beat out Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The criteria, he said, included determining which candidate had the “ability to coalesce the conservative base” and “who’s going to truly defend our religious freedom.”
Good news. It’s heartening to see Ted running such a good campaign. Regardless of the outcome, one gets the sense he really knows what he’s doing.
Great news for Cruz. Steve Deace is a thoughtful conservative. His endorsement means a lot during this election cycle.
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