Hundreds of people wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats and T-shirts packed the house when Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) rallied for his re-election bid earlier today at the Christian Fellowship Church in Harlingen.
About 1,000 attendees filled the church this morning in support of Cruz.
R.W. Bray, director of urban engagement for the Cruz campaign, opened today’s rally by firing up and recognizing the “pro-lifers,” gun owners, military, U.S. Border Patrol and young Republicans in the audience.
Border Patrol Agent Paul Perez was elated to see the turnout of the event, spoke about his experience of traveling across North and Central Texas with Cruz and stressed the importance of getting people to vote.
“We need everyone out there to get out and vote!” Perez said. “Talk to your friends, talk to your family. Listen to what Sen. Ted Cruz has to say, and then listen to what his opponents have to say. It’s night and day.”
Before Cruz took the stage, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) spoke to the audience about Cruz’s involvement in issues other than immigration and said there is no one he would rather have on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“It’s not just immigration,” Lee said. “On basically every issue that is so important to the American people right now, every issue that the Republican majority in Congress and President Trump have been working on together, Ted Cruz is not only involved, he’s at the center of the action.”
Cruz, who has served in the U.S. Senate since January 2013 and is being challenged by Democrat Beto O’Rourke, opened his rally by briefing on the most recent tax cut, which he said is the biggest of the generation.
“At the end of the day, it ain’t rocket science,” he said. “If you cut taxes, if you simplify the tax code, if you repeal job-killing regulations, small businesses prosper and grow, and the state of Texas does great.”
Among the attendees was Deborah Perez, a Harlingen resident who said border protection, health care and the protection of the Second Amendment are among the most important issues in this election.
“He stands for all the things that I stand for: pro-life, pro-Constitution, pro-guns, pro-America, pro-Israel, and those are the things that I feel very strongly and firmly about,” Perez said. “He is also a Christian man and I am right behind that as well.”
Cruz, who sought the Republican nomination for president in 2016, also discussed his standpoint on Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) and how he wishes to repeal it once and for all so that health care prices may become more affordable.
“I’ve been proud for the last six years in the Senate, each and every day, to lead the fight to repeal the disastrous law that is Obamacare,” he said. “You want prices to go down, you want more competition, you want more choices, you want more options, you want more consumer freedom.”
The crowd roared as Cruz mentioned his involvement and leadership in confirming the appointment of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“And I have to say, the behavior of Senate Democrats during the Kavanaugh confirmation was one of the saddest chapters in the history of the United States Senate,” he said.
In regard to immigration, Cruz said there is no race in the country with a sharper divide on immigration than the U.S. Senate race in Texas.
“There is a right way to come into this country,” he said. “You stand in line, you wait in line, you follow the rules and you come here to seek the American Dream.”
Dr. Rey Gonzalez, the Republican candidate challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) in the Nov. 6 election, attended the event and expressed his satisfaction with the turnout of the event.
“I’m just so glad to see that the Harlingen area, the Rio Grande Valley area, responded to this rally and showed their support not just to Ted Cruz, but to what Ted Cruz represents, and that’s conservative principles that are very well-founded here in the Rio Grande Valley,” Gonzalez said in an interview with The Rider.
Cruz closed the rally by encouraging the audience to speak out, contribute, volunteer and vote. He was scheduled to attend a rally in Mission this afternoon and one in Laredo tonight at Texas A&M International University.
Early voting for the midterm election continues through Friday.
