BRENDAN STEINHAUSER
  • Home
  • About
  • Television
  • Print and Radio
  • Campaigns
    • Grassroots
  • Blog
  • Contact

Ted Cruz's Appeal

2/2/2016

0 Comments

 
After last night's stunning victory in the Iowa Caucuses, Ted Cruz will lead much of the media coverage on the Republican side. He will head into New Hampshire with momentum, and will benefit from millions of dollars in earned media that will make him more well-known with Republican voters nationwide. As more people turn their attention to the presidential race, and start to decide who they will support, Cruz will continue to pick up support from the grassroots of the GOP.  Here is why.

All throughout this presidential campaign, Senator Cruz is the Republican candidate who best understands and appreciates the frustrations of grassroots conservatives and tea party activists nationwide. His rise to prominence and a U.S. Senate seat in 2012, (I campaigned for him that year), was built on a consistent message of limited government and conservative principles. He picked a fight with the "DC cartel" as he calls it, and has not changed his message significantly since then. Cruz entered the Senate with a head of steam, and fought hard for his beliefs, often making some folks in DC quite uncomfortable.

But he never sought to appeal to DC -- he sought to appeal to people outside DC. On the campaign trail in 2012 I remember showing up at tea party meetings or Republican clubs, and making the pitch for Cruz. There was always a lot of skepticism at first, and folks were not completely sold -- until he showed up and spoke to them directly.  Cruz spoke to the grassroots activists in their language, and showed that he understood their values, fears, and desires. He was one of them -- and he would be their messenger in DC. He would not go there to get along with the "DC cartel." He would go there to disrupt and upset the establishment, and he would never apologize for it.

Because Cruz did just that, starting on Day One of his job as U.S. Senator, his supporters became extremely loyal. And as he took his message to the rest of the country from 2013 - 2015, it resonated with grassroots activists in places like Iowa, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and other states. Here was a Senator that was willing to fight for them, and for their ideals. Here was a potential presidential candidate that would represent the conservative grassroots of the GOP, and take the fight to the liberal Democrats. And never apologize for fighting for his, and their, beliefs. If you understand that, then you can understand Cruz's appeal, and you can understand why he will do very well in the weeks to come in this presidential race.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Brendan's Blog

    Brendan Steinhauser is a national political strategist focused on campaigns, media, and public policy.  

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2013
    August 2012
    August 2010

    Categories

    All
    Book Reviews
    GOP
    National
    Tea Party
    Texas

    RSS Feed

The  Texas native has been one of the key operatives working to shape the Tea Party's energy into a ballot-box force. The author of a book about the conservative movement's struggles on college campuses, Steinhauser trains Tea Party recruits in the mechanics of social networking, voter outreach and grass-roots organizing." - TIME Magazine 40 Under 40 Recognition, 2010

Contact Brendan Steinhauser

Contact Brendan
  • Home
  • About
  • Television
  • Print and Radio
  • Campaigns
    • Grassroots
  • Blog
  • Contact