DES MOINES, Iowa — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Saturday repeatedly called for “reigniting the miracle of America,” a phrase that sounds like a slogan for a possible presidential campaign.
Speaking to activists at the Iowa Freedom Summit, Cruz introduced his wife in the crowd and said: “Heidi and I are here today for the same reasons that all of y’all are here. Because we look at what’s happening in this country and we fear for our children. We fear for our grandchildren.”
Talking about the 2016 election, Cruz told voters to support people who not only say the right things, but have a history of fighting for those issues.
“Iowa plays a unique and special role in the political process. The men and women gathered here today and across the state, you have a responsibility that you take very seriously to scrutinize any candidate for national office. To look them in the eyes and to hold them to account.”
He predicted that Republicans running for president will tell those in the crowd that they are the “most conservative guy that ever lived.”
“Well you know what?” he said. “Talk is cheap…And one of the most important roles of the men and women in this room, the men and women in Iowa will play, is to look each candidate in the eye and say, ‘Don’t talk. Show me.'”
“If you say you support liberty, show me where you stood up for it. If you say you support religious liberties, show me where you stood and fought for them. If you say you oppose Obamacare, show me where you stood and fought against it.”
Cruz, who acknowledges he is thinking about running for president in 2016, made clear he won’t be a stranger to the state. “God bless the great state of Iowa,” he said.