He came to whip up support for his candidacy going into the Md. Primary next Tues.
Frederick usually isn’t a stop for a lot of presidential candidates during an election year, but it was on Thursday. Republican Senator Ted Cruz from Texas held a rally at the Weinberg Center.
Even though he lost the New York Primary on Tuesday to Donald Trump, Cruz says he continues to pick up support. He says several former GOP candidates for President are on his side. “We have the support of Rick Perry and Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush and Scott Walker and Carly Fiorina,” he said.
Cruz also said if Republican Rival Donald Trump is the party’s nominee following the convention, Democrat Hillary Clinton wins by double digits. “On the other hand, if I’m the nominee, we beat Hillary Clinton,” Cruz said, with his supporters applauding.
There was no empty seat at the Weinberg for Cruz’s speech. He said his campaign continues to gather momentum. “And what we are seeing is the 65% to 70% of Republicans who recognize nominating Donald Trump elects Hillary are united behind our campaign,” he said.
Cruz urged his supporters to vote for him in the Maryland Primary, and encourage their friends to do so.
He said don’t be discouraged by Trump’s victory in New York and the feeling that the GOP race is all over. “And oddly enough Donald Trump and the mainstream media seem to think the state of Maryland is a suburb of New York City,” he said. “But let me tell you next Tuesday, the people of Maryland are going to have their opportunity to speak.”
Outside of the Weinberg Center, there were protests by citizens who don’t see eye-to-eye with Cruz. Nancy Pace of Frederick was carrying a sign which said “God is love. Ted Cruz’s merciless, murderous, carpet bombing, god doesn’t speak for me and can’t have my country.” “Well, he has a version of a god that very angry and vengeful, and I don’t want that god running my country,” she said. Pace was wearing a campaign button supporting Bernie Sanders.
Ryan Nicholas of Frederick was also supporting Bernie Sanders. “I’m a two-time veteran of the Iraq War. I’ve have a very hard time with someone like Ted Cruz and Donald Trump talking about using mass amounts of violence once again in the Middle East, having never serve there themselves, or put on the uniform of our country, or be so willing to send other people’s children to go fight and die,” he said.
Cruz has said he will “carpet bomb” the Islamic State “into oblivion.”
Caroline of Frederick has a specific concern. “I think he’s pretty terrible in terms of reproduction rights. That’s pretty close to my heart considering I’m a woman with a reproductive system that’s being regulated by people like him. And I don’t think, since he’s not an owner-operator, he should have the right to regulate what he knows nothing about,” she said.
The protests were peaceful.