Elections

Iowa GOP Voters Trek To Cruz Rally Before Caucuses

Kerry Picket Political Reporter
Font Size:

AMES, Iowa — Iowa Republicans traveled to a [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore] event Saturday afternoon to help narrow down who they will caucus for Monday. Many voters have narrowed their options down to Cruz, Florida Sen. [crscore]Marco Rubio[/crscore], retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and businessman Donald Trump.

“We’re kind of leaning towards Cruz possibly, but I’m not sold on anything, so that’s why we’re here,” Joon Benning, a regular caucus goer of Ames, told The Daily Caller about himself and his wife.

Benning said they narrowed down their options to Cruz, Rubio, and “maybe Trump.”

Steven Hatcher of West Des Moines, another regular caucus goer, narrowed his options down to Cruz and Rubio because he likes both of their policies.

“I believe they are the two that can straighten some of this out,” Hatcher said. He added, “This country is in a God-awful mess. We’re talking about immigration — the economy. Those are the two big ones.”

“Well, It’s either Carson or Cruz. They’re Christian. I just like how humble Carson has been in his speeches that he’s given and I’d like to see what Cruz thinks as well,” Iowa voter Becky Jordan said.

“[Cruz] is a true constitutionalist and conservative and in my opinion he’s the most conservative in the field,” said Ames resident Sandra Childs Smith, who said her friends and family are voting for either Cruz or Trump.

“I’m a little on the fence, but I’m consumed by Ben Carson or Ted Cruz. I’ll probably observe things for the next couple of days and going one way or the other,” David Smith of Ames told TheDC, noting his biggest concerns are protection of the borders, pro-life concerns, and national security.

“I have not been able to go [to Carson events] but my wife has been able to go in the last few days. She really liked him, but she might go with Ted too, later noting, “I’m not sure which way to go. In one sense, Ben is not going to win, unfortunately. This is the way it looks. It’s almost like [giving] a vote for Trump, [and] I’m becoming more dis-favorable toward him,” said Smith.

Ames resident and regular caucus goer Jerry Littzul, however, narrowed his options down to Cruz and Trump and said he would decide Monday night. “I’m decided for Ted Cruz. Of course I might change tomorrow,” he said. “He’s really smart. He knows everything about everything, I think. That’s the main thing. I like his wife too.”

“I just got here but there’s a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the Cruz campaign,” West Virginia Rep. [crscore]Alex Mooney[/crscore], Cruz’s campaign chair in the Mountain State, told TheDC.

“We don’t vote until May and so it’s likely that it could be over by then. So we brought our team here to help out this weekend and experience the electricity out-of-pocket,” he said.
Follow Kerry on Twitter