Ted Cruz Responds to New Hampshire Results With Optimism

Following a solid third-place showing in the New Hampshire Primary on Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz excitedly addressed a crowd of supporters in Hollis, New Hampshire.

While the speech was more subdued and much shorter than his nearly half-hour victory speech eight nights earlier in Des Moines, Iowa, it still managed to fire up his supporters. The message was simple: The Republican Establishment is running scared.

“Together, we have done what the pundits and the media said could not be done, what the Washington establishment desperately hoped would not be done,” he said to a chorus of cheers. “The real winner—the real winner—is the conservative grassroots, who propelled us to an outright victory in Iowa and to a far stronger result and outcome in New Hampshire than anyone predicted.”

According to unofficial results, Cruz is likely to take third place in the Granite State, despite spending less than $1 million there. Meanwhile, other candidates spent tens of millions and got substantially less support.

He thanked the voters of New Hampshire for the night’s result. And he reinforced his message that the “Washington Cartel”—his phrase for D.C. insiders—was “utterly terrified” about what it means for the future of the country.

“And so now on to South Carolina, on to Nevada, on to Super Tuesday. We’ve put Washington on the run, and tonight’s outcome is a victory for ‘We the People.’ And this election, this primary and this general election in November 2016, will be a victory for the hardworking men and women who want to believe again in the promise of America against the bipartisan corruption of Washington, which mark my words will end on Jan. 20, 2017.”

The remaining Republican candidates will hold another debate in South Carolina on Saturday. One week later, on Feb. 20, Republicans will hold their primary in the Palmetto State.