By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Friday, December 13, the Ted Cruz campaign for President announced that the Texas Senator would make a southeastern swing in the week leading up to Christmas. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) confirmed that Cruz would be coming to both Trussville and Daphne. Winning southern states on March 1 is critical to the success of any Presidential campaign that hopes to go forward from there.
Secretary of State Merrill said, “We are very pleased with the way the SEC Primary has developed and what it means for our people to have personal interaction with these candidates. With the assistance and full support of the Alabama Legislature, one of the most significant things we have done in the Secretary of State’s Office is change the primary date to March 1. Since the March primary legislation passed, the Democratic frontrunner and eight of the top Republican candidates have made campaign stops in Alabama, which is unheard of for our state. As Secretary of State, I will continue to position Alabama and the South as a place where Presidential candidates are willing to make an effort to visit and meet our remarkable people.”
The Wall Street Journal’s Janet Hook wrote on Thursday that the Southern States are having a much bigger impact on the presidential race this year than in past elections because of the way that the SEC Primary on March 1 front loads the Southern States. Cruz is second to Donald Trump in most national polls; but is leading in Iowa. The Cruz campaign hopes to win the Iowa Caucus on February 1 and build momentum going in to the busy schedule over the next 30 Days.
Iowa is followed closely by the New Hampshire Primary on February 9, then the South Carolina Republican Primary on February 20 (the SC Democratic Primary is February 27), the Nevada Republican Caucus on February 23, (Nevada Democrats Caucus on Feb 20), and then on March 1: Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Vermont all hold their Primaries. Wyoming, Minnesota, Alaska, and North Dakota will hold their Caucuses on the same day. Whoever can be at least in the top two in delegate count on March 2 has an enormous advantage going forward in the process.
Senator Cruz, age 44, will be in Greater Mobile area on Saturday, December 19 and the Greater Birmingham area on Sunday, December 20.
The Sen. Ted Cruz event in Trussville on December 20 will be from 2:00pm to 4:00 p.m. at the Trussville Civic Center 5381 Trussville Clay Rd in Trussville. Doors open at 1:00 pm.
State Senator Shelnutt (R-Trussville) told the Trussville Tribune’s Scott Buttram: “If voters are looking for a true anti-establishment conservative, Cruz is their guy. He’s consistently done what the voters sent him to Washington to do and that’s stand up for the citizens. He hasn’t backed down from the establishment and he won’t.”
Shelnutt has endorsed Cruz. “The things I like about Sen. Cruz include his fight for smaller government, his defense of the Second Amendment, his pro-life stance, and the fact that he understands how Obamacare has hurt the economy in this country and how hard he has worked to undo it.”
The Cruz campaign will be at the Daphne Civic Center from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Doors open at 1:00 pm. The Daphne Civic Center is at 2603 U.S. Highway 98 in Daphne.
Sen. Cruz has avoided attacking GOP frontrunner, New York City businessman Donald Trump; though recently he reportedly told a group of donors that he expected Trump and Dr. Ben Carson to lose support as the Primaries approach. Trump has responded by attacking Cruz’s opposition to ethanol subsidies (a big issue for Iowa corn farmers) and questioning Cruz’s religious beliefs: “I do like Ted Cruz, but not a lot of evangelicals come out of Cuba. Not a lot come out.” Earlier he said that Cruz was, “A little bit of a maniac.”
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) is running in third, followed by Dr. Carson in most polls; though the polls have been very fluid in this race.
To get free tickets to the Cruz event in Trussville:
To get free tickets to the Cruz event in Mobile:
