New Hampshire Ted Cruz Surrogate Explains His Support

The Rev. Canon Mark A. Pearson is a member of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s New Hampshire leadership team. He stood in for the Texas senator at a recent candidate forum.

The following is the text of his speech.

My name is Mark Pearson. I live in Hampstead where I am on the Hampstead Republican Town Committee. I am part of “Team Cruz” for New Hampshire.

I bring a warm welcome from Senator Cruz to the other presidential candidates here tonight, to the various elected officials and candidates and to all others here tonight.

For the next several minutes, “Je suis Ted Cruz.”

I grew up in eastern Massachusetts. I will not attempt a Texas accent. However, in the interests of full disclosure, my paternal grandfather was born in Canada. This made him, unlike Senator Cruz, ineligible for the presidency.

Here’s where Ted Cruz stands on matters important to us and to our nation.

1. The Second Amendment. It’s not just about protecting our rights to hunt or target practice. It’s about keeping mentally sane and law-abiding people safe.

It is nonsense and even evil that the cities with the strictest gun laws—Chicago, Washington D.C.—have so much gun violence. Instead of the government taking guns away from people, it should focus on enforcing the gun laws in place and disarm felons.

2. Religious Liberty. Ted Cruz will rein in the harassment of people of faith. You may remember how the mayor of Houston was demanding pastors submit their sermons to her so she could judge them according to her personal ethical/moral views.

From day one, Ted will stop the IRS from harassing faith-based groups.

3. Immigration. We will secure the borders. We are a nation of immigrants, but illegal immigrants are just that—illegal. There shall be no amnesty.

And, as for those wishing to come to America either on work visas or as legal immigrants, we will first determine if they would take jobs away from people already legally here. If so, our people must come first. If not, we welcome people coming here legally.

4. Israel. We will stand with Israel and no money will be given to any group that incites violence against Israel. Do you want peace in the Middle East? We will talk with any nation that repudiates the idea that all Jews should be driven into the sea and drowned.

In day one of a Cruz presidency, our embassy will move to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital.

5. Life, Marriage and Family Issues. Ted Cruz is pro-life, knowing that human life begins at conception. He will investigate Planned Parenthood to see if indeed crimes were committed. If there is evidence, those who broke the law will be prosecuted.

Marriage is a divine ordinance (or sacrament) between one man and one woman.

6. Lower taxes. The tax code is way too complicated and demands many of us pay for professionals to help us fill out our income taxes each year.

Fewer regulations. As for the chief executive officer of a small business I say, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

7. Education. Ted Cruz will abolish the U.S. Department of Education and trust that our own state and local educators are actually capable of running our schools.

8. Along that line, there are other issues where the Tenth Amendment gives decision-making to the states must be put back into place.

Now here are a few reasons why I personally like Ted Cruz.

Four points starting with the letter C.

C Number 1. Ted Cruz is comprehensive. I am CEO of a small Christian medical center with a staff of 16 in Kingston.

I have asked most of the candidates about health care reform and all of them spoke negatively about Obamacare, as well they should. It was designed so that the more controversial aspects of it would slowly roll out over a handful of years. They are now rolling out, and we increasingly see how bad this law is.

All the Republican leaders believe this. Fine. But Ted alone gave me a thorough, detailed list of what else we need to do replacing ever so many rules and regulations that have been put in place over many years, and putting in their place insurance those companies quick to demand we pay our premiums but often very difficult when we expect them to pay our claims.

As we talked, it was as if Ted had been in the meetings I have been holding with our chief medical officer and our billing clerk.

This is just one example of how Ted Cruz thinks things through to great depth.

C Number 2. Ted Cruz is courageous. Letting Iowans know he would seek to end the federal subsidy on ethanol took guts. Whether you think ethanol is a good idea, or whether you think federal subsidies for ethanol is a good idea is not the point.

The point is, it takes guts to tell the corn state that he would end the money train. We need a man with such courage as our president.

C Number 3. Ted Cruz is compassionate. On TV debates or in televised large forums he comes across as the champion debater he once was at Princeton. Brilliant, but sometimes we wonder, does he care about individual people like me?

The answer is, in person and in small groups, when it’s conversation, not rhetoric, it’s obvious he truly cares about people. When talking with him personally, he relates a policy question to individuals he knows who are hurting or in need.

Ted’s father is a pastor, and Raphael’s pastor’s heart beats in Ted as well.

Ted cares for our country and he cares for the individuals comprising it.

C Number 4. Ted Cruz is convincing. He will be a convincing candidate come Nov. 8. “Sez who?”

While polls can be misleading, the composite polls put together by Real Clear Politics have consistently said Ted Cruz is one of just two of the Republican candidates who could beat the eventual Democratic nominee.

When the Republican Party nominates conservatives, we win—Ronald Reagan. When we nominate moderates—whether they call themselves that or not—we lose. Don’t we? Haven’t we been?

I want to win this fall. Second Samuel 23:3 says, “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God” (KJV). We have such a man in Ted Cruz.

The Rev. Canon Mark A. Pearson is Rev. Canon Mark Pearson is the pastor of Trinity Church and the Chief Executive Officer of New Creation Healing Center (a Christian facility combining family practice medicine, massage, Christian counseling and prayer ministry), both in Kingston, N.H. He is running for the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the district comprising Hampstead and Kingston.