will have been married 38 years, our first blessing from god decided to come eight to 10 weeks prematurely, probably 10 weeks. and back then chances were not really good for us there in tyler, texas. so they tried to delay her birth god e the doctor said, works if labor starts early, the development process speeds up. so however much longer we can keep her, that increases her chances of making it. that started on saturday. on tuesday morning about 5:00 a.m., katie had decided she was coming. she let he was born,

out a cry and i said to the doctor, that's good, right? he said there is no way to know. and having done a lot of work in the medical field and defended a lot of doctors actually, i know medicine. when i saw her go from 20% to 60%, 80%, 100%. i knew she was in trouble. the pediatrician didn't see me sitting there. he came rushing through. he was going to wait to get the tube into her lungs to get the oxygen directly until the team from sheeve port got there. and he worked and there were

three teams when the sensors went off and lost her and does mouth to mouth and brought her back three times and he came out dripping sweat but got her intubated and saw me and said it's not as easy as it looks. i said doctor, it doesn't look easy. i said thank you for working so diligently on our child. the ambulance got her to the top-level neonatal. i was torn. stay was going to have to in the hospital in tyler and she was having some problems and she said look, go do anything you can for our child. and the reason we were midway between shreveport and dallas. and i said which one do you

recommend? he said they have a better survival rate back in shreveport. so we went. i come in and the doctor said, you need to come here and they brought me where they put katie and had all the wires hooked up and he said now it's very important that you touch her, touch her little face, rub her little arm and talk to her. her eyes are not developed good enough yet that she can see you, but she knows your voice. she has been hearing your voice for months. you talked to her and touched her and you can stay for two hours and have to take a break. well, after i had been there tore a while. and you understand, one of the last things to develop is the lungs and that's the biggest

problem. and so underdeveloped. he breathing is so intensely shallow. it is fast shallow breaths. they were irregular and after they had been there for an hour .r so and he said she's drawing strength from you. . e's drawing life she had latched onto the end of my index finger with her tiny little hand and wasn't letting go and she was holding on and if she was drawing strength from me, there was no way i was leaving. eight hours later they said sir, you have to take a break.

i said i can't leave. leave. e me you have got to take a break. this isn't healthy for you. any way, i took a short break and my mind was back there with katie and ran into the back of a lady and the officer was kind. ut i couldn't wait to get back having had a child hold onto the end of my finger clinging to ife because she wanted to live and she's visiting from berlin and an artist in residence and one of 12 artists to live in shanghai for six months. she's incredible. the thought that anybody could pull those limbs from that child

or flush that child down a come owed and take part and say whether we are going to sell em, they'll be helpful for research, it is so and hornt and so unconscionable that at times it is just so difficult to understand how people can take the positions they do. including a president who as a senator, would be totally opposed to a law that says if the abortion fails, you got to et the child live. opposed to that legislation. i have known ted cruz for a number of years now and everybody talks about how brilliant he is.

yes, he is incredible as a debater, an attorney, arguing before the supreme court, an attorney arguing before his wife -- [laughter] mr. gohmert: he is absolutely incredible. and i know i have had temptations like a lot of people to want to support the second person in the history of umanity not to ask god for forgiveness, i know that's a struggle. but i have settled on an endorsement that is not moving. it's for the guy who knows who he is. he knows who god is and he knows that creator that our founders wrote about. he knows our rights don't come from government, they come from

god and our job is to protect them, every one of those rights. so it's an honor to be with you tonight. i'm excited and i'm thrilled. governor rick perry. [applause] governor perry: governor perry: luis was a senior anden i was a did everything good. thank you for coming out here and being here tonight. we are on the cusp of history. iowa has in its grasp the opportunity to change the course of history. those aren't just words. literally you are going to pack

up here on monday and go to that caucus, have the ability, the opportunity, you have the responsibility to change history and get this country back on track again. [applause] governor perry: there's only one individual, one individual that you'll have the opportunity to caucus for on monday night that is a consistent conservative who understands that constitution from front to back. only one. there's only one individual that you will have the opportunity to go and caucus for, that truly can go to washington, d.c., standing with that constitution in hand and did he involve power out of washington, d.c. back to the states.

[applause] governor perry: for 14 years, i had the extraordinary privilege to represent the state of texas as its governor. i had an attorney general and a slol general that did not mind suing the federal government when they got out of line and they got out of line way too often. [applause] governor perry: when there were those who wanted to take the 10 commandments off of the grounds of the capitol, it was ted cruz standing in front of that supreme court defending our right to have those 10 commandments on that capitol ground. i want that committed conservative and consistent conservative. he knows more about the constitution that anyone on that caucus list.

and secondly he will stand up for it every day. he is powerfully shorp intellect but also a man that i have really got to know over the course of the last four months. quite frankly because he was my lawyer, doesn't mean i knew that much about him. [laughter] governor perry: that's true. he called me multiple times and said governor, i want to sit down with you and he took a day off from his presidential campaign and i can't tell you how precious that is. outside his family and his faith, his time is the most prosheous things he has. and he gave a day to me so he can talk to me not about policy, fill osy, but i wanted to know who ted cruz was. and i know this man. i have had the opportunity to

sit down and talk to him. let me tell you, here's what i found. one of the great gifts that he has. this man may be the best listener of anyone i have been involved with in public office. that is a gift. and the other thing i found out in those conversations and phone calls subsequently, ted cruz knows what he does not know. you know how important that is in the oval office, in the most powerful job in the world to know what you do not know, to realize you have to have people around you to that are experts to go deal with those foreign countries and military and foreign affairs. there's some people who don't know what they don't know. [laughter] governor perry: you know what i ean?

governor perry: that scares me, i don't want someone in the oval office who thinks they know everything. man is not alive yet. i want someone to put together. i want to wrap up three things and talk about the characteristics of a leader. in my 35-plus years of public service, as a pilot in the united states air force and working in texas state government, i have had the opportunity to observe a lot of people. and a real leader, a real leader, a great leader is an individual of humility, a person who understands they

grace of god came back, convicted, understands the concepts of grace. probably gets up and asks for forgiveness. some people don't have to do that. most of us do. but by the grace of god, this man knows he could be in a lot of different places had jesus christ not convicted his father. want a man of humility, an individual of courage and someone who is grateful to god to where they find themselves in

life. that is the characteristic of a great leader. you caucus for ted cruz and you will get that consistent conservative. you will get a man of god and powerful individual as the next president of the united states. cheers and applause] it's up to you, the future of this country is in your hand. and there is a man who i have had the great privilege to know over the course of my trips to great dealas given a , his life, his will treasure to not just this great state, but to our country. welcome to the stage, a united

states congressman who is making a difference and again, a convicted conservative of , senator ry beliefs -- i just raised your title, congressman steve king. [applause] mr. king: thank you so much, rick. i'm all energized after i heard rick perry and i was looking around here and thinking birds of a feather flock together. and they came here a long time ago to stand up for our values. and i had this flash back when we wrote the defense of

marriage. and we wrote marriage shall be between one man and one female. [applause] mr. king: and you saw what the supreme court did with that. the iowa supreme court and tony and luis and others came to this stop to help us. and we ep went around this state caucus with us and then in 2010 you bounced them off the bench. when i look around i see people that have the same common beliefs. i do need to tell you this, i go over to the supreme court to hear the oral arguments. i have the privilege of sitting on the judiciary congress, nonlawyer on the judiciary committee and i think they have a disadvantage. they have to argue both sides.

me, i just argue the right side. but i went over there to hear the oral arguments on the 10 commandments the front of the supreme court was filled with protestors and i had to climb through the hedge to get to the door. when i got up to the door, it was a bright sunny day and my pupil go were shrunken down and i looked up there and i could see a white shirt and a smile. and it was a guard and i said i'm congressman steve king to hear the oral arguments on the 10 commandments before the u.s. supreme court and this is what i heard. i'm moses and i'm hear to lead you. the guard's name is moses. he's my friend. he has led me in and out several times. but he led me into the chambers

where i sat down to listen and i began to realize there was a solicitor general from the state of texas. he had put the case together. and the two guys put the argument today to save our 10 commandments and that's when i realized who ted cruz was. and time after time defending marriage, defending life, defending guns and the list goes on and on. our values are his values. and when i look around and see ted cruz, then i know we are in a fight somewhere and ted will come to it or i don't want to miss out on this, you know. when he came to congress, we sat down in a cubby hole and talked about ideology, policy and what our goals were.

it matched up and checked off the boxes for me. we sat down and had a dinner together and that lasted for five hours. i could see the rest of the estaurants and he had the bill hickock chair. matched up on everything again. time after time. we are trying to save this country from the gang of eight amnesty bill. [applause] mr. king: and all of the squabble that has been pushed out of that by other candidates in this presidential race here in iowa, ted cruz sat in that judiciary committee and he offered amendment after amendment designed to kill the nate gang of eighth bill and chuck grassley and jeff sessions voted with him on those amendments. keep that in mind.

[applause] mr. king: ted will tell you that the immigration policy is a product of the collaboration of jeff sessions, ted cruz and steve king and said that at a debate here the other night. and that 11 pages is there. i signed off on every pit bit of it. ted will protect our borders. he will secure the border and restore the respect for the rule of law. cheers and applause] mr. king: if you wonder about life, it's just real simple and i say this message to young people. you only have to ask two questions. is human life sacred? we say universally. human life is sacred and ask one more question, at what moment does life begin, that moment of conception and once you get the two points down you never lose the debate on this.

ted has never lost the debate on the life and marriage issue. he is a constitutional christian conservative that member rised the constitution in high school. [applause] mr. king: on the immigration debate i couldn't get one in the house of representatives when they were working against our interests and ted was holding the line. i rented a stage like this and i announced a press conference and invited house and senate members and one senate member showed up. you already know who showed up. ted cruz. [applause] mr. king: and i introduced him and he took the stage and he spent 45 minutes giving chapter and verse and read it on his website, 11 pages on tedcruz.org. but he delivered it in june of

2013. his record is rock solid and goes back deep and it's firm and one thing that he does, if he endorses a piece of legislation authors, that's his word and bond. we will not be changing those things that he has given his word on. he is a man of honor. [applause] mr. king: i have gotten to know heidi. and i just say this about heidi. when ted walks into a room he doesn't have to wonder how many people in that room are smarter than he is. i do wonder every time. he doesn't have to wonder but he is humble. when heidi walks into the room. they are a neat couple. when you watch them interact you know they are and there is a humanity there and faith there and wants to serve america and bring us in the right direction.

and some of you were at the event that i hosted january 24 last year when we had a presidential faith and freedom event and i stepped forward that day and i said to you i believed that the next president of the united states had spoken from that stage, probably the next vice president and part of the cabinet had also spoken from that stage, but i also ask you this. i followed through on my side of this, that every day, consistently as you possibly can raise up a prayer to ask god, to ask god that he would use his influence to raise up a leader whom he will use to restore the soul of america. [applause] mr. king: i came to that conviction. wasn't just picking a name off of the menu. it's a measure the head, the gut and the heart all has to line

up. and lined up for me on november 13, 2015 when it all settled in and i knew it was right. right with my brain, my gut and faith and calling from god. and i believe that god has raised up that leader now it's up to us to sustain him and carry him out of iowa with a caucus victory on monday night so ted cruz can take the springboard and go from iowa, new hampshire and sourget carolina and set up perfectly for the super primary in the south that runs across those mobile states on march 1. we can carry ted cruz into the white house and see our value in the oval office. we can do it if we do it together and let's do that together and bring everybody we know to caucus on monday night and send iowa to a great victory and send ted cruz to the white

house. thank you very, very much. [cheers and applause] mr. king: and i have the great ,rivilege one of my co-battlers i have the chance to introduce him. bob, the head of family leader. and he came out of northwest iowa, strong leadership and faith and sometimes they challenged him. he was praying when he was coaching and deposit think that was a good idea. we thought that was a great idea. he has been fighting on every cause that we care about all along. and he gave a speech yesterday that rocked the country and echoed through and might have cracked every glass in an ivory mansion. i'll have bob talk to you about that. please welcome my very good friend.

[cheers and applause] >> are you ready to elect a resident for 2017 out of iowa? [applause] >> in 1979, ronald reagan announced his candidacy for the presidency. and when ronald reagan announced, he said this, i believe this country hunger and thirsts for a spiritual revival. what ronald reagan was seeing in the late 1970's was in a dead out sprint. and he knew to bring the country back would be for a spiritual revival. i know about me and 2016, this country hungers and thirsts for a spiritual revival, turn our earts back to god, and his

principles. i was in the nation of israel and when i was in israel, i was meeting with a senior adviser for benjamin netanyahu. when he found out i was from iowa, he said, bob, choose well. choose well. meaning everyone's eyes are on iowa right now. but don't be mistaken, all world's eyes are on iowa right now. his words echo to me about choose well, choose well, choose well. for a person of faith and a lot of you people of faith, how do we know if we're choosing well? scripture tells us in exodus 18:21, it says this, it says choose those among you who are capable. choose those that fear god. choose those that are trustworthy. and choose those that hate

dishonest gain. i believe this country would be well served if we went according to those principles when applying who we should choose to be president of the united tates. now let me be transparent and cut to the chase. i have a lot of friends in this race. i endorsed governor huckabee in 2008. i endorsed senator santorum in 2012. marco rubegow, carly fiorina, ben carson, all good friends, rand paul. but ladies and gentlemen, we need to make a decision on monday night and this race has come down to two individuals, donald trump and ted cruz. and we need to choose well system of if you want to vote for anybody else, i'd say that vote goes to donald trump unless you vote for ted cruz. you need to tell your friends and neighbors, get out and unite

behind ted cruz. read exodus 8: 1 and apply it to the two different candidates work donald trump which is what we get. in july of 2015, he sat on a stage of the family leader that he's not ever asked god for forgiveness. he also said he likes veterans who weren't captured, disparaging every prisoner of war that there is. many of you know my story, darla and i have four boys, she argue she is has five but we have four. our third son lucas is very uniquely gifted. he was severely disabled by birth. so it really rocked my world when i saw a candidate for president of the united states openly mocking and insulting people with disabilities. this country must have a higher

standard than that. [applause] but then just last weekend, he say he could go out into new york city and shoot somebody and wouldn't lose any support. right away i thought of john lennon and the beatles saying, we're more popular than jesus. that's a pride and an air fwans and a temperament that is a roll of the dice tb president of the united states. [applause] and then when you want to know what it's all about he, made a run at the presidency, going up in the polls by taking on the establishment, now he says the establishment is warming up to him because he's always about the art of the deal. he's willing to deal with them. i'm telling you right now, the

sanctity of human life is not up for the art of the deal. [applause] god design -- god's design for marriage and family is not up for the art of the deal. religious liberty is not up for the art of the deal. a relationship with the nation of israel is not up for the art of the deal. and our very constitution is not p for the art of the deal. [applause] now yesterday he, took me on because i didn't endorse him. he took me on in the twitter world. and you need to know, i'm the youngest of eight children. i grew up with older brothers. so i know how to fight back when they want to push me around. we fought back and won that twitter war because the truth was on our side. but what i want to tell you right now work ted cruz you

apply exodus 18:21 again, ted cruz fears god. he knows who he is and who he serves. you take a look at being capable, he's exceptionally capable. he's argued in front of the u.s. supreme court and won on the 10 commandments. won on the cross in the moe haw see desert, won on the second amendment right this guy is capable. he's one of us. he's trustworthy he, hates dishonest gain. and i believe he can win and he will champion our values. versus just try to play our values. we need to get behind ted cruz. my dad was part of the world war ii generation they call that generation the -- the greatest generation. and the reason they were the greatest generation is they put this cause of the country above themselves. and they're the greatest generation because they always

stood in the gap where their country needed them to be. i listen to my dad give a memorial day speech and he said his, don't ever let it be said about the greatest generation that they lived and they died and they were buried. and he looked at a high school band and he said, you need to choose to be a great generation. you need to choose to put the cause of the country above yourself. you need to choose to stand in the gap when your country needs you. and right now, our country needs us to stand in the gap on february 1. we need to stand in the gap and get behind ted cruz and send the world a message of who we're ehind. [applause] leaders all over the country are uniting. leaders all other the state are uniting. and if we unite on february 1, when you go to your caucus, get

your friends, get your neighbors, get your christmas card list, get everybody you can think of, get to the caucus, get united and let's send america a message and let's send the world a message in the nation of -- and the nation of israel a message that we in iowa chose well. [applause] i am thrilled to stand up here with congressman steve king, governor rick perry, congressman gohmert, and so many others, dr. james dobson is on this team. because he knows ted cruz will fight for the american family. but when we're looking around, there's one endorsement i really wanned, the one endorsement i really wanted for ted cruz is because this guy has a high standard he, doesn't endorse easily, he's rock solid. you know him, you see him on fox

news a lot you may get his email, may listen to him on the radio. he is a constitutional judeo christian worldview american. he loves this country. when he saw what this race was down to, last night he went on megyn kelly and made his endorsement of senator ted cruz. what i want you to do is give a very warm welcome, an iowa welcome and appreciation for the newest endorser of senator ted cruz for president, would you help me welcome tony perkins of the family research council! [applause] tony: thank you. thank you, bob. well, i want to thank bob for his leadership in not only iowa but in the nation. i want to thank you. i'm here tonight to stand with ted cruz.

me tell l you -- let you how bad i want to stand with ted cruz. i flew through chicago. but i thought about it. i was flying through the hometown of the current president, so that i could stand with the next president. now i believe that there is a special place in heaven for people in iowa. because you have to listen to all the politicians. now i can say that because i'm a recovering politician. i spent nearly a decade in office in louisiana, got a little nervous earlier when governor perry talked ability convicted politicians. most of the guys i knew had to be very clear about the number f terms they served. but i would encourage you to

take it easy on these guys. it's a tough business. i remember when i was first running for office, i was out knocking on doors. in south louisiana in summertime, it gets really, really hot. i got caught in one of those afternoon thundershowers, a little wet, probably not looking my best. i knocked on this lady's door, handed her a card with my picture on it, my plaid form on the other side. she took the picture, stared at it, she stared at it, she stared back at me and she said, my, that picture is flattering. [laughter] tony: it is a tough business. it is a tough business so take it easy on these guys. i am here for this coalition for life because there is nothing more fundamental than the right to life. [applause] tony: we looked at what is happening in this country, and let's just take the last 43 years. on friday i stood in washington

dc for the march for life. 43 years ago, the supreme court declared that a child was a choice. rather than something to be cared for that was made in the mage of its creator. that was not something that the people decided. it was not something that the state legislators, congress decided, it was the courts. then we go back to june 26 of this past year where the court declared they knew better than 50 million people when they imposed a redefinition of arriage. when you look at all of the things we care about, whether it is right or wrong, i think it is wrong the court decides it so many things. the court is directing this country.

the next president will appoint two or three supreme court justices. this issue is being lost on a lot of people in this election. unfortunately, the court does decide the culture of this country and that is wrong. it should not be that way. if we had strict constitutionalist on the court it would not happen. what is happened over the years is even the republican presidents cannot discern a liberal from a conservative. kennedy, and have you ever notice the democrats, when they appoint someone, we never turn out to be a conservative. i spent 10 years as a police officer. i can tell police officers. i am not going to point them out, but i can tell who the off-duty police officers are in the audience. we know each other. ted cruz is a strict constitutionalist. he can pick them out. if there is one person in this

lection for president that i want picking the next two or three supreme court justices it's ted cruz. [applause] tony: i want to ask you to talk to your friends, to do everything you can to caucus on monday night for the sanctity of human life knowing that the next president is going to be putting those supreme court justices on the court, and i will tell you what, i know a liberal will not be able to masquerade as a conservative in front of ted cruz. he will smoke them out, believe me. [applause] tony: now, this has just been the warm-up act for you. you are really here to see -- come on, help me out.

you are here to see, not only my friend, someone i have spent time with, broken bread with, prayed with, but here to see the next president of the united states of america. please help me welcome, ted cruz. [applause] ♪ [applause] ted: welcome.

♪ ted: god bless the great state of iowa. [applause] ted: 119 hours, that is how long we have. all of the noise, all of the smoke, fireworks, the circus, it has been kind of a circus. [laughter] ted: 119 hours from now, the iowa caucuses begin. i have to say, what we are seeing here today is historic. what we are seeing here today is we are seeing conservatives coming together and uniting. all across this state of iowa, all across the country, this is

something so many of us have dreamed about, has prayed for. over and over washington has worked to divide us. to pit us against each other, to have us fighting tooth and nail. you look at the patriots we have here today, matt and jason and louis and governor rick perry and steve king and bob bender plots and tony perkins. what an incredible array of principles, constitutionalist fighters who stand with the american people. [applause] ted: you look at people like jack thurman who is here with us, a brave warrior who fought

for this country and is fighting to save this country today. [applause] ted: why is this happening? why are conservatives coming together like never before? it is because the stakes, the threats to our country have ever been greater. tomorrow, we have a debate. although one of the candidates has chosen not to attend. [applause]

ted: apparently, mr. trump considers megyn kelly very, very scary. [laughter] ted: donald is a fragile soul. she might ask a mean question, and who knows what could happen. his hair could stand on and --end. i have to say, it is an amazing statement for a presidential candidate to say, i am not willing to show up for the ebate. this entire process is a job interview. we have spent seven years with a narcissistic, self-involved president in washington. [applause]

ted: who thinks the american people work for him, who behaves like an emperor. if he decrees something, it must be so. it has been all about obama, the chosen one or seven years. - for seven years. what does it say when donald trump tells the men and women of iowa, my time is more important han your time? on monday we will complete the four graseck -- full 99 counties of iowa. [applause] ted: standing in front of the men and women of iowa, asking for your support, looking you in the eyes and asking -- answering the hard questions. that is what any candidate who hopes to win the state of iowa owes the men and women of the

state. this is a job interview. i want you to imagine you put up an ad in the help wanted pages, looking for a new employee to administer the government and urn it around. imagine someone called you and said, i want the job, but i am not showing up for the interview. [laughter] ted: what would you say? you are fired. [applause] ted: is donald finds megyn kelly so terribly frightening, i yesterday suggested an alternative. he and i are the leading candidates in the state right now, so how about the two of us in a one-on-one debate? [applause]

ted: i am going to propose a venue, western iowa that we already have reserved. this will be on saturday night. [applause] ted: this will be 8:00 saturday night, a two-hour one-on-one debate. if gentle donald cannot handle megyn kelly, how about for them are greater -- moderator instead, mark levin question mark -- levin? [applause] ted: how about sean hannity? if he does not like sean hannity, how about rush

limbaugh? [applause] ted: if gentle donald is frightened by mark, sean and rush, then we will have no moderator whatsoever. [applause] ted: a town hall of iowans. donald, you can invite half the people and we will invite half the people and each of us will alternate, asking questions from the men and women of iowa who are going to vote in the caucus monday night. [applause] ted: because at the end of the day, it is not really that donald is afraid of megyn kelly, it is not that he is afraid of mark, sean or rush, not that he is afraid of me, he is afraid of you.

[applause] ted: he does not want to answer questions from the men and women of iowa about how his record does not match what he is selling. [applause] ted: i believe for any candidate to have a chance of winning iowa, you have to demonstrate the humility to stand in front of the people of this state, and i believe for any president to have the right temperament to be an effective president, not an imperial dictator like we have seen for the last seven years, ou have to demonstrate the humility to understand he worked for the american people and not

the other way around. [applause] ted: we have a venue, we have a time, all we are missing -- [laughter] ted: a candidate. i have to say, in 119 hours, everyone in this room is going to have an important decision to make. you know, all of us are so unbelievably frustrated because we keep winning elections and then losing. we were told, if only we had a republican house of representatives, things would be different. then we were told, if only we had a republican senate, then things would be different. we have had republican majorities in both houses for

over a year now, and how has that worked out? look, the american people feel a profound sense of the trail -- betrayal, of candidates who say one thing and then do another. we cannot yet burned again. the stakes are too high, if we mess it up again, if we listen to the campaign rhetoric again and get fooled again, we cannot et burned again. let me suggest a test that the men and women of iowa may wish o apply. we need to distinguish the candidates, to distinguish who you can trust from her you cannot. it is a test of the scriptures, you should know them by their ruits. my advice to everyone here is do not listen to a word any of the andidates say. do not listen to what i say, do

not listen to what donald says, really, do not listen to what donald says. [laughter] ted: did not listen to what any of the candidates say. instead say simply, show me. show me your record. show me when you have walked the alk. an old boss of mine said, if i'm ever accused of being a christian, i would like for there to be enough evidence to convict me. the same thing is true of being conservative. if you are really a conservative, you should not have to tell anybody because you will have been in the foxholes and bear the stripes from a standing and fighting for your values. [applause] ted: if tony perkins woke up tomorrow and decided he wanted to run for office as an establishment moderate, he could

not do it. if bob suddenly decided he was going to run as an establishment moderate, if steve king suddenly woke up and said this looks pretty good, they could not do t. why? because they have walked the alk. they bear the stripes. their walk is witness to their testimony, not their words but their actions and leaderships and sacrifice. i am going to suggest seven battles that we ought to test every one of the candidates on. these are seven battles that ork for times of choosing. this is a rally for life and we have announced our national coalition, over 17,000 pro-life activists over the country standing together with this campaign. [applause]

ted: the right to life is fundamental. without life, there is no liberty, there is no pursuit of happiness and every human life is a precious gift of god and should be protected from the moment of conception until the moment of natural death. [applause] ted: every candidate in a republican primary will tell you they are pro-life. that is what you say in a republican primary, regardless f the facts. the question we are to ask is, do not tell me you are pro-life, show me when have used -- when have you stood up to thought -- fight for the right for life?

before i was in the senate, i was the solicitor general of texas, the chief lawyer for the state before the supreme court. we led a coalition before the supreme court, defending the federal ban on partial-birth abortion and we won 5-4. [applause] ted: we led another coalition before the supreme court, defending new hampshire's law on parental notification and we won, unanimously. [applause] ted: and texas, when the state legislator passed a bill defunding planned parenthood, a local district court struck down that law. i personally argued the case to the court of appeals and we won, unanimously reinstating the law and defending to defund planned arenthood. [applause]

ted: if you care about the right to life, there is a clear difference among the candidates. donald trump, today, supports taxpayer funding for planned arenthood. as president, on my first aid in office, i intend to instruct the u.s. department of justice to open an investigation into planned parenthood and prosecute any and all criminal violations. [applause] ted: if the right to life matters to you, there is a clear and meaningful difference among the candidates. let's talk about the second battle, the second time for

choosing, and that is marriage and religious liberties. in june of last year, we saw a shameful decision from the united states supreme court, five unelected judges arrogantly tearing down the marriage laws f all 50 states. when that decision came down, that was a time for choosing. it was a line in the sand where every candidate could decide on which line of the sand do they stand. several of the leading republican candidates, including donald trump and marco rubio said publicly, this decision is settled. it is the law of the land and we should accept it, surrender and move on. those are word for word, the talking points of barack obama. there is something profoundly wrong when republican presidential candidates are reading for barack obama's alking points on marriage.

my view is fundamentally different. that decision is fundamentally illegitimate, lawless, judicial activism, inconsistent with the constitution and it will not stand. [applause] ted: if marriage matters to you, and let me point out, the united states supreme court did not invent marriage. marriage preceded the united states supreme court, cyprien it -- preceded the united tates. formy lena, marriage has been ordained by god as the union of one man and one woman. we have seen connected to this battle on marriage, the battle ver religious liberties.

many folks attended the rally we held several months ago, listening to heroes who stood and stood for their faith and were persecuted by the government. for me, religious liberty has been a lifelong passion. i have spent the last 20 years ighting for religious liberty, defending and taxes the 10 commandments -- texas the 10 commandments monument and winning, 5-4. [applause] ted: defending the words, one nation under god and the pledge of allegiance, going to the supreme court and winning, unanimously. [applause] ted: and defending over 3 million veterans nationwide, the cross to honor the men and women who gave their lives in world war i.

going to the supreme court and winning, 5-4. [applause] ted: if marriage and religious liberty matter to you, the question you should ask is not words do you say, but have you walked the walk? when have you defended marriage? when have you ever defended religious liberty? when have you stood up and put action to what you claim to believe? i will tell you, if we nominate nd elect a president who spent the first 60 years of his life supporting partial-birth abortion, we should not be surprised when we see the

supreme court justices that that president puts on the supreme court. [applause] ted: as radical and activist as this current supreme court is, we are one justice away from a left-wing majority, which would tear down the fundamental liberties of this country. if we do not want to get burned again, as we have been over and over and over again, then we cannot listen to the campaign rhetoric. we have to ask, if we want a president who will defend life, marriage, religious liberty, we have to ask, have you walked the walk and do you bear the stripes? a third example, a third time for choosing was the battle over guns. in the spring of 2013, we remember the tragic shooting in newtown, connecticut where president obama could have run

us all together. he could have brought democrats and republicans together and say, let's go after violent criminals. instead, he did what he has done so many times, he tried to divide us and he said instead, let's go after the constitutional right to keep and bear arms of law-abiding itizens. let me tell you, the second amendment is not about hunting. [applause] it is not about skeet shooting r target shooting. those are wonderful things but that's not why the second amendment is in the bill of rights. it is in the bill of rights because if anyone comes into your home and seeks to harm your family and children, we have a god-given right to protect our families and protect our children. [applause]

ted: harry reid and chuck schumer of the democrats launched an assault on the second amendment in the spring of 2013, millions of americans rose up against it and i was proud to stand and lead that fight. [applause] ted: when it came time for a vote on the senate floor, everyone of barack obama's proposals to undermine the second amendment was voted down on the senate floor. [applause] ted: now, and a republican primary, every republican candidate will say they support the second amendment. unless you are clinically

insane, that is the right answer in a republican primary. the question to ask of the individuals standing on the stage is in the spring of 2013 when the assault was on, when obama was targeting the second amendment, where were you? here were you? did you stand up and defend the second amendment, or would you nowhere to be found? the fourth battle, the fourth time for choosing was the battle over obamacare. obamacare is the single biggest job killer in this country, millions of americans have lost their jobs, forced into part-time work, lost their health insurance, lost their doctors and seeing premiums skyrocket. in the fall of 2013, millions of americans rose up against the disaster that was obamacare.

i was proud to stand in lead that fight for 21 hours, standing on the senate floor. [applause] ted: now, in a republican primary, everyone is going to say they oppose obamacare. the question to ask, once again, where were you? when the fight was being fought, where were you? actually, i said everyone would say they oppose obamacare, but there is actually one candidate on the stage, actually technically speaking, not on that stage who does not say hat. listen, donald trump's position on health care is that he supports bernie sanders'style

socialized medicine for everyone, with the government. he does not think obamacare goes far enough. we had hillary care, obamacare and then trump care, socialized medicine for every american. washington will decide if you get the surgery, the edication. ted cruz: all you have to do is get approval from the government in charge of this country. donald is entitled to have that. you might even call that view a new york value. [applause] as donald might observe, both he and bernie sanders are native new yorkers. but if you care about obamacare, there is a clear difference of opinion. if donald trump is elected president, he will expand

obamacare and put the government in charge of more. if i am elected, we will repeal every word of obamacare. [applause] the fifth battle, the fifth time for choosing is the battle over the washington cartel, the cronyism that is affecting our kids and grandkids. any candidate who, like donald, supported barack obama's bailout f the wall street banks. any candidate, like donald, who supported barack obama's stimulus plan and said the only problem was it was not big enough, it should have been igger.

any candidate who supports that washington cronyism we know as an absolute fact, if that candidate became president, he would not stand up to the washington cartel and end the cronyism. [applause] you know, every candidate on that debate stage says they will stand up to washington. that is great. the natural follow-up question is, when have you ever stood up to washington? when have you taken on not just democrats but leaders in our own party? and you know, when you do so, you get attacked by the democrats, you get attacked in the media, and you get attacked by a whole lot of republicans. there is a reason why king and i both need food testers in the member signing room. [applause]

but i will tell you this much, if a candidate has never once stood up to the washington cartel, stood up to the cronyism, nobody in history has ever grown a backbone after getting to 1600 pennsylvania avenue. [applause] the sixth battle, the sixth time for choosing is the battle of amnesty. in the 2013, barack obama, chuck schumer, and harry reid proposed massive amnesty plan. it would not have secured the border, it would not have kept the country safe, but it would have granted amnesty to 12 million people here illegally.

and they got the support of establishment republicans in washington. the rubio-schumer amnesty bill passed the u.s. senate with a big margin. and it was headed to the house, and it was going to pass house republican leadership. john boehner intended to take up that rubio-schumer amnesty bill and pass it with the votes of all the democrats. it was going to be republican leadership, plus the democrats overruling about 200 house republicans. you want to know how close it as surpassing, ask steve king, louie gohmert, just how close republican leadership was to jamming this through with all the democrats. now, that once again was a time for choosing. there are candidates in the republican race for the president who talk about mmigration an awful lot.

the only question we should ask as voters is in 2013, when the fight was being waged, where were you? i can tell you it was about to pass, and then a handful of leaders, including jeff sessions and including especially iowa's own, the relentless steve king stood and fought it. [applause] and i was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with jeff sessions and louie gohmert and steve king. together millions of americans rose up and said no, protect the rule of law. no, protect our borders. no, we do not want amnesty. ow if that had passed in 2013, it would have gone to president obama's desk, he would have

signed into law, and that battle would have been lost. anyone who claims today as a presidential candidate they care about the border, the one question to ask is where were they in 2013 when the battle was eing fought? the seventh and final time for choosing is the battle over iran and medical -- radical islamic terrorism. the single greatest national security threat facing this country is the threat of a nuclear iran. any candidate who believes we should keep in place this iranian nuclear deal, wait to see if iran complies, maybe as donald trump is suggesting go with negotiating to get a better deal. anyone who believes that fundamentally does not understand the nature of the ayatollah khomeini. if i am elected president, i

intend to rip to shreds this catastrophic iranian nuclear deal. [applause] and the most important determination, the people of iowa are making politically on monday, is which candidate is best prepared to be commander in chief. who has the experience, who has the knowledge, who has the temperament, who has the clarity of vision and the strength of resolve to identify our enemy, radical iranian terrorism and do everything to utterly and completely defeat isis. [applause]

those are seven battles, seven times for choosing. you can assess not what we say, because talk is cheap. assess of every candidate what is your record on those seven. and let me say to the men and women here, every four years iowa is beset by politicians that descend. it is like an infestation of locusts. [laughter] at this point, we have seen millions of attack ads. we have seen radio ads, tv ads, mailer after mailer. they make really good kindling and your fireplace. [laughter] they light up quick. here is what washington wants, washington wants to divide s.

because they are more conservative in iowa nationally then there are members of the washington cartel. [applause] in 119 hours, this is our time, the time for the men and women in this room and all across the state. and if you agree with me that the stakes have never been higher, we are at the edge of a cliff staring down, if we keep going this direction for eight more years, we risk losing the greatest country in the history of the world. i want to ask each of you to do three things. join us, commit tonight to show up monday night to stand for us, speak for us and caucus for us and stand together. [applause]

number two, bring others. i want to ask every one of you to commit, to pick up the phone and call your mom. it is actually a good idea to call your mom anyway. [laughter] call your sister or your son or your next-door neighbor or your college roommate. say this election matters. it matters to me, it matters to my future, my family, my children and grandchildren. i want to ask everyone here to vote for me 10 times. [laughter] now look, we are not democrats. [laughter] i am not suggesting voter fraud. if everyone here gets and nine other people to come out monday night and caucus for us, you will have voted 10 times. [applause]

and let me say to some of the younger folks who are here, if you are not yet old enough to vote, if you get 10 people to come out monday night, you can vote 10 times before you turn 18. [laughter] [applause] this race is not fwoipping to be won on television, it's not going to be won from a tv studio in manhattan or d.c. it is going to be won, friend to friend, neighbor to neighbor, iowan to iowan. each and every one of you aching out and in 119 hours, you have the potential to change the direction not only of the united states of america but the entire world. let me give you an amazing statistic.

do you know that if you define as a reaganite someone who supported ronald reagan in the primary in 1980, do you know that the republican party has never once nominated a reaganite or president since 1984? every single nominee of the last 40 years opposed ronald reagan in the 1980 primary. i am 45 years old. i have never once had the opportunity in a general election to vote for a principled reaganite conservative. the people of iowa on monday night can change that for this entire country. [applause] and the last thing i would ask each of you to do is pray.

commit to pray each and every day from now until election day to lift this country up in prayer. to spend just one minute a day saying father god, please, continue this awakening. continue this spirit of revival, awakened the body of christ that we might pull back from this abyss. we are here tonight, standing on the promises of second chronicle 7:14. if my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then i will hear their prayers from heaven and forgive their sins. and i will heal their land. [applause]

one final bit of history that our friends in the mainstream edia will never tell you, in january 1981, when ronald reagan took the oath of office, his left hand was resting on second chronicles 7:14. the very real and concrete manifestation of that promise from the word of god. we have seen these challenges before.

we have faced the abyss, and the american people came together and we rose up and pulled this ountry back. we have done it before, and if we can stand united, we can do it again. thank you. [applause] ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] >> when will you come to missouri?

ted cruz: i am not sure. >> thank you so much. thank you. ted cruz: thank you.

>> thank you so much. >> can you take my picture with him? hanks so much.

> thank you. ted cruz: it is a flat out lie. i have always supported it. >> i think that would help the whole system. ted cruz: thank you very uch.

ted cruz: very detailed immigration plan on our website. thank you, thank you. >> mr. cruz, that second chronicle verse, inaudible] i feel -- thank you very uch. ted cruz: god bless you. >> a real pleasure to have you. >> it is great to have you here, senator.