trouble. then, i won in a landslide. the poll was wrong. the following day, they came out with a national poll that was ridiculous. nbc, chuck todd, they cannot get another one. nbc jumped on it. what is wrong with them? that's not right. cnn came out with a pull. 49, a couple of days ago. boy, did they turn out to be wrong to south carolina. go ahead. [inaudible question] donald trump: i was concerned with that until i saw it. i think it is better than any ad i have taken for myself. [laughter]

donald trump: do you know why? i really mean it. let me tell you why. i heard about the ad. i said, i am not going to like it. by theey looked at it -- way, i can be more presidential than anybody. i can be more presidential if i want to be. when i have 16 people coming at me from 16 different angles, you don't want to be so presidential. you have to win, you have to be them back. i would say more presidential -- and i have said this a couple of times -- more presidential, other than the great abe lincoln. i saw that ad. people are sick and tired of being politically correct. i actually think that ad is good for me. [applause] donald trump: in some cases as you know, i was kidding. i have a big audience. i was joking. was showinges, i

anger and showing a certain toughness we need in our country. but i watched that ad and i said, you know that ad shows a certain degree of anger and it shows a certain degree of, we are not going to take it anymore. they have been ripping us off like we are a bunch of stupid babies. i don't think it is a bad ad for me. if i had my choice of saying i could have it down or let it run, let it run. [applause] >> a lot of the parents are trying to figure out how we explain the language we h ear? donald trump: you are so politically correct. look at you. i know. you have never heard a little off language or you are so perfect. aren't you just a perfect young man? give me a break. it is stuff like that that people in this country are tired of. it is stuff like that. [cheers and applause]

[inaudible question] $39ld trump: i hear million has been spent. i am very surprised. i looked at the numbers and mississippi had 50%. that is not 50% with two people. that is 50% with 4 people. that is shocking. that is record-setting. a big difference. if you are running like hillary and are running against one guy -- you are running against bernie. 50%-50 2% -- i am running against three very competent people and i am getting 50%. in michigan i'm close to 40% against a big group of people. i will say this. i am a little bit surprised -- i rail -- i was

watching adam scott hit that last great shot. i went back and i was watching the news in one of the rooms and every single advertisement was about me. it was during my tournament. i go from tournament to horrible man. the most vicious ads. one of the reasons i brought the wine out and the water out and the steak out, and more wine and more water -- and i told you about trump university. we are going to win that ca se. it will be easy. they hit me with this trump university. we're going to win the case. i could settle the case so easily. i don't want to settle it. it would be easier for me to settle it. i would not have all of you people writing about it. but i don't want to settle it. the fact is, you have to do what is right. and if you live by principal --

and believe it or not, i am a very highly principled person. if you live by principal, you are going to do very well. [applause] donald trump: i was a little surprised when i saw the viciousness of the ads, and , mittness of -- really was very vicious. i wish to use that same energy against obama. i think he would have won. [applause] if he used the same energy against obama, he would have won. carl? >> thank you, mr. trump. given your statement about hillary clinton do you agree you need to get mainstream american republican politics in the establishment as it has been labeled the hind you? -- labeled behind you? and what do you say to them tonight? donald trump: i say, let's come together, folks. let's come together. the answer is not 100%, but largely i with say yes.

believe it or not, i am a unifier. i unify. look at all of the things i built around the world. i am a unifier. i get along with people. i have great relations. i even started getting along with you, right? campaign carl. but no, i get along with people. i really say this, carl, i think it is time to unify. we have something special in the republican party. unfortunately, the people in the party -- they call them the elites or whatever they call them -- those are the people that don't respect it yet. we have millions and millions of discussed this before. we have millions of people coming up and voting -- largely for me, in all fairness, but for other people also. carl, you know this because you have reported on it. it is a record. it has never happened before. in 100 years, what is happening now in the republican party has

never happened before. the party -- whether you call them the establishment or not -- they should embrace it. would love to have what is happening. i have friends on the other side. would we like that to happen. they are down 35%. there is no spirit there. we are way up with millions of people. what i say to the republicans is, embrace it. we will win the election easily. [applause] in your words, mitt romney and lindsey graham have been attacking you viciously. how can you win them back? donald trump: you don't have to win back everybody. >> are you changing the republican party? are you reforming the republican party? how do you assure conservatives it is not in their interests? donald trump: i'm not changing

the republican party because i am a conservative. i am a commonsense conservative. nobody is more conservative than me on energy independence. i have been talking about it for years. nobody is more conservative than me on the military. nobody is more conservative than me on taking care of our great veterans who are being absolutely maligned. [applause] conservative than me on health care, where we are going to repeal and replace obamacare, and on common core -- we are getting rid of that. and on budgets, whether it is the penny deal. or anything else. we're going to pay off $19 trillion. debt. were not going to pay that off quickly, but we have to start bringing it down to a level that is sustainable because we are going in the wrong direction. certainly, nobody is more conservative than me on the border. the one thing i think people can say is that on trade, i am a free trader, believe it or not. but i am also a smart trader.

we cannot let china -- and i like china, they are wonderful. smarteir leaders are too for our leaders. i did great with china. the bank of america i have is because of china. i will tell you, nobody is more conservative on trade. the problem i have is you have people that are in the national review, they are eggheads. they have no common sense whatsoever. no common sense whatsoever. it is not free trade when china charges tax to get our products and they don't let our project in any way. and yet, they take their product and send it to us like nothing. we have a trade deficit with china of $500 billion a year. we have a trade deficit with japan of over $100 billion a year. we have a trade deficit with mexico. that is why mexico is going to pay for the wall. $58 billion a year, 100%. these guys, that i'm against and

they say, you are not going to get mexico to pay for the wall. i say, of course i am. we have a trade deficit with mexico of $58 billion a year. cost $10is going to billion. our you telling me i can't make that deal? that is an easy deal. [applause] donald trump: the only thing, carl -- i love the question. the only thing i can say, some people say i am a conservative on trade. i want free trade. free trade, you have to have smart people on both sides and we don't have smart people on our side. i want fair trade. it has to be fair trade -- or as you would say, fair and balanced trade. jeremy, go ahead. >> i want to ask you about trade. that's one of the planks of your campaign -- the idea of fair trade. you talk about how the u.s. is getting killed by countries like china and mexico. donald trump: destroyed.

>> yes. but there is intervention for cheaper goods for example. we have 35% tariffs on products from china. donald trump: i know what you're going to say. nobody is listening to you, jeremy. nobody ever listens to you. the problem we have with trade -- jeremy, let me just say. we have people on the other side that are grandmasters at monetary manipulation, at currency manipulation. they are manipulating currency to such an extent that our companies cannot compete with other companies in other nations. the cause of that, we are losing our jobs. take a look at how many jobs china has taken from us. it is not just china -- it is everybody. but china is the big abuser. china has taken millions of jobs, thousands of factories.

what they have done to us -- i thought about it the other day. it is the greatest theft in the history of the world. they have taken out so much money. again, i love china. it is great. i don't hold anything against their leaders. i wish our leaders would do the same thing in reverse but they don't. we cannot continue. i won michigan and i went up there. these people are incredible people. take a look at some of the factories that have been abandoned their, where they moved into mexico. take a look at chicago, where nabisco moved its big plan -- they are closing their plant and moving to mexico. fortis billing a $2.5 billion factory in mexico. a couple weeks ago, carrier announced they are going to close. they are going to put their air conditioners in mexico. how does that help us?

[inaudible question] donald trump: can i tell you what's going to happen? when china thinks you mean it , when they think you mean it, they are going to stop manipulating their currency and you won't have to do anything. you might even have free trade. [applause] donald trump: you didn't hear me. when china thinks you mean it, when japan thinks you mean it -- that we are not going to let them sell the cars like that because they are killing us. you know what we sell to japan? practically nothing. they have cars coming in by the millions and we sell practically nothing. when japan thinks we mean it, they will stop playing around with the yen. they are almost as good as china. you look at what is happening with komatsu tractor and you look at what is happening with caterpillar. byerpillar is being hurt camacho. caterpillar makes a better machine. the minuteve

relation of the currency. they are not supposed to do it. they have no fear of our government. we are dealing with babies. they are grandmaster players and we have people who should not be negotiating for us. one more question. go ahead. [inaudible question] donald trump: i am going to finish with her because she never asks a decent question. >> would you support an alternative candidate? donald trump: i think lindsey graham is probably a nice guy. i was very tough on him because he was tough on me. i think he is probably a nice guy. i could probably get along with lindsey graham. i could probably get along with mitt romney. i have nothing against mitt romney and i understand how he feels. he worked really hard. he should have worked harder. but he worked really hard. and he didn't get there.

i understand it. i could probably get along with mitt romney. i don't know mitt romney very well. i endorsed him. i backed him, i helped him, but i don't know mitt romney. i could probably get along well lindsey graham, but he goes on television and is nasty. i can get along with people. the bottom line is, we have something going that is so good. we should grab each other and unify the party. and nobody is going to beat us, ok? [applause] donald trump: thank you, everybody. thank you very much. [cheers and applause] >> to be able to have professional and a personal partnership over 15 years is a really unusual thing. susan's temperament in terms of editing is something i don't have. i have stuck very closely to the

grunt side of the equation. "q&a," susanht on and peter baker, who are married, join us to talk about their careers and their upcoming plans to move to israel. >> it will be a good adventure. susan and i were bureau chiefs for the washington post, but we never spent any time injuries slam or in israel -- a ny time in jerusalem or in israel. we spend a lot of time writing in washington, but we have never spent time on the ground. i am looking forward to it. >> i will be continuing with politico helping to meet our editorial growth and innovation. we are expanding in the united states and internationally. just as last year, we launched

political europe. i came to politico to start politico magazine. we started that two-and-a-half years ago. it has been an exciting new platform to take us into those ambitious reporting. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's "q&a." democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton held a campaign rally in cleveland. ohio holds its primary next tuesday. her remarks are 20 minutes.

hillary clinton: hello. [cheers] hillary clinton: thank you so much. hello cleveland, hello ohio. >> hillary! hillary! hillary! hillary clinton: thank you so much. >> hillary! hillary clinton: thank you also very much. i am very excited to be back in cleveland. [cheers] hillary clinton: i especially am thrilled to be in the district

of congresswoman marcia fudge. [cheers] hillary clinton: and in the city of mayor frank jackson. [applause] hillary clinton: and to have the county executive here, where are you? [applause] hillary clinton: and my great friend of so many years, congressman tim ryan. i am also pleased to be here with all of you, to have this opportunity to talk about the campaign. this will be a busy week here in ohio. [cheers and applause] heather glendon: we are so excited to have the campaign building across this estate. this campaign is about building

a future where every american can live up to his or her full potential, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love. [applause] hillary clinton: i believe this with all my heart because it is the only way for america to live up to its full potential. if every american has the chance to live up to his or hers. i know we have a long way to go. in fact, the future that i envision is going to take work from all of us. i want to knock down every barrier that stands in the way. [cheers and applause] hillary clinton: i want to knock down the economic barriers, the health care barriers, the education barriers. the kind of challenges that people face every day. now, you are here tonight and

you are going to do everything you can in this next week. along with people in florida, illinois, missouri, north carolina, who are going to the polls. i hope you make your voice, and your vote, count. this has been -- [cheers] hillary clinton: this has been, so far, a campaign focused on the issues. i am out of the campaign that -- i am proud of the campaign that senator sanders and i are running. [cheers] hillary clinton: we have our differences, which you can see when we debate. but, i will tell you what, those differences pale in comparison to what is happening on the republican side. [cheers and applause] hillary clinton: every time you

think it can't get any uglier, they find a way. as the rhetoric keeps sinking lower, the stakes in this election keep rising higher. now, running for president should not be about delivering insults. it should be about delivering results to the american people. [cheers and applause] hillary clinton: that is what i am doing this campaign. and that is what i will do all the way through it because i want to talk about what's working families are up against across the country. i want to talk about how we have a new bargain so you can get ahead and stay ahead in every industrial city, small town, farm country, every community that has been hollowed out by lost jobs and lost hope. don't let anybody tell you we

can't make it in america anymore. we can, we are, and we will. [cheers] hillary clinton: in order to do that, you can't be talking about building walls, or turning the clock back. we have to build on what made america great in the first place, our energy and optimism, our openness and creative at it. -- and creativity. nobody works harder than americans. nobody innovates better. nobody dreams bigger. and if we work together, i know america will outcompete anybody anywhere in the world and create -- [cheers and applause] future clinton: creative

-- create a future that will hold out the promise of america to every kid with a dream. every aspiring entrepreneur, and everyone who works hard and does their part. they should all be able to say, i can make it in america. friends, wehere, my do need a real strategy. we have to invest in core american strength. you know, i voted for the rescue fund that saved america's auto industry when it was on the brink. [applause] hillary clinton: as president, i will always stand by our auto workers. i will stand by our automakers. i will also invest in manufacturing and small business and clean energy. [applause] hillary clinton: i have set some big goals. i want us to install a half a billion more solar panels and

ton enough clean energy power every home in america all within the next 10 years. let's start creating more good jobs that can't be outsourced by repairing our failing infrastructure, including the all the dangerous water pipes -- not only under flint, michigan, but under a lot of american cities. you know, jackson, mississippi has a lead problem. so does cleveland, ohio. [applause] hillary clinton: more than 14% of cleveland's kids have been exposed because of lead in paint. we have problems in the paint, in the soil, and in the water. i want to stand right here in as yourd and tell you president -- if i am so fortunate enough to be in a that office next year -- [cheers and applause]

hillary clinton: we are going to tackle this lead problem everywhere our children are at risk. we will stand up to corporations that same to have absolutely no loyalty to this country that gave them so much in the first ways. [cheers and applause] hillary clinton: look at nabisco, laying off 600 workers in chicago, moving a production line out of the country. even though the company has long received tax breaks from the state of illinois. [booing] hillary clinton: they have no problem with taking taxpayer dollars with one hand and giving out pink slips with the other. look at the eaton corporation here in ohio. they get millions of dollars in tax credits and government contracts to make electrical equipment. but that hasn't stopped them from using accounting tricks to move their headquarters

overseas, and avoid paying their fair share of taxes here at home. [booing] hillary clinton: now they are shutting down a factory, eliminating more than 100 jobs, moving that work out of the country. and to top it off, they gave their ceo a payout worth more than $11 million. [booing] hillary clinton: we should make corporations pay for the so-called inversions. [applause] hillary clinton: i want companies to know that if they want out on america, they're going to pay a price. overseas,y ship jobs we will make them give back the tax breaks they received here at home. [cheers and applause] hillary clinton: because we can take that money and we can put it to work, investing in

communities that are left behind and bring those jobs back to america. now, there should be no doubt, --you teach your employees if you cheat your employees, exploit your customers, pollute our environment, or rip off the taxpayers, we will hold you accountable. [cheers and applause] hillary clinton: but, when businesses do the right thing, we will stand with them. in jarring,rd innovation, investment, and sharing profits with workers -- not just shareholders and top managers. [applause] [cheers] hillary clinton: it is good for everyone when companies treat workers like assets to be invested in, not costs to be cut. it is simple economics. america grows when your paycheck grows.

[cheers] : i know the idea of corporate patriotism might era of vastin an multinationals, but that is exactly what we need because we really are all in this together. we need to work together to break down all he barriers holding back our families, and our country. don't you think we waited long enough for quality, affordable childcare and safe family wages? [cheers and applause] hillary clinton: don't you think it is time for equal pay for equal work for women? [applause] hillary clinton: i sure do. let's break down the barriers that stop our children from getting the quality public education they need and deserve. [applause]

hillary clinton: every child should have a good school, and a great teacher, no matter what the zip code they are from. [applause] hillary clinton: let's breakdown the barriers of all of our students so they can graduate from college, debt-free. [applause] hillary clinton: people already burdened by debt can pay it off as a fair percentage of their income with a definite end date so you finish your obligation. [cheers and applause] hillary clinton: and let's invest in our historically black colleges and universities, which play such a vital role across our country. [applause] hillary clinton: we have to break down all the barriers, and those include ones that are still rooted in bigotry, and

bias, and prejudice. the truth is, more than half a century after rosa parks sat and dr. king marched and john lewis bled, we know race still plays a role in who gets ahead in america and who gets left behind. we know there are problems have -- we know there are problems we have be honest and face. when a young man, tamir rice, was shot, that was painful for everybody. >> don't forget melissa! hillary clinton: there are a lot of names we could be reciting, not just from here, but across the country. i believe we have to invest in every community. you have to help everybody succeed because that will be good for all of us. [applause] hillary clinton: you know -- >> u.s.a!

u.s.a! hillary clinton: ohio has been very important in our history, you've given us a lot of trailblazers. a lot are right here from cleveland. and one or two that i knew and really cherished. that was lou stokes. [applause] hillary clinton: people that were successful, who really did so much for this community, and for the state, and our country. and i am proud that they were my friends. and i am proud we have leaders like the ones i mentioned earlier who are helping us move into the future. here is what i want you to know. when you run for an office like this, it is a leap of faith.

and what is important is we have got to focus on how we bring our country back together. you know, the divisiveness, the mean-spiritedness -- that is not going to move us forward. we need to stand united. trying to divide us between us and them, it's wrong. it goes against our most cherished values. america belongs to all of us, not just those already successful. i want to be the president not to those already successful, they don't need me. i want to be the president for the struggling, and the striving, for people who have a dream and are looking for a way to achieve that dream. [applause] hillary clinton: we got to resist forces trying to drive us apart, whether economic or political. there are a lot of them out

there. they seem to have forgotten what made us great in the first place. you know, america is great. we don't have to make it great. [applause] hillary clinton: we have to make it whole. by that, i mean we have to get back where we are supporting each other, helping young people get involved in national service. finding ways to get back to our community. everyone of us has a role to play in the future that we want. that is the spirit powering this campaign. and it comes from the more than 900,000 americans who have contributed, most of less than $100. it comes from ernesto, a college student in defiance, ohio. he gave seven dollars to hillaryclinton.com.

he says he wants a president who will help break barriers, not only for latinos, but for all people. it comes from liza in texas, whose child has down syndrome. money is tight, she says, but she sent me $20 because she wants to unify our country, and open up more opportunities for everyone, including her precious children. i want you to join this campaign. please go to hillaryclinton.com or text "join" to 47276. when i get a note like these two people, and meet someone across the country who have struggled in their own lives, they still find it in their hearts to help others. i know that is the people we are. we are better than what we are hearing in the political rhetoric of this time. we are better -- [applause]

hillary clinton: than what we are being offered by the republicans. i have seen the young people in flint, michigan working to help heal their community. i met entrepreneurs across this country in city after city who are starting small businesses. and i have met mothers that lost their children to gun violence. turning their mourning into a movement. all of them are living out what scripture tells us -- let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. if we reach for love and kindness, and stood of bluster and bigotry, we can see the best in each other, not the worst. [applause] hillary clinton: if we lift each other up, instead of tearing each other down, there is

nothing we can't do together. so, i am grateful to all of you and i want you to know that if you work for me in this next as we move through this doorknockingl and and phone calling, if you work for me, and if you vote for me, i will work my heart out for you. [applause] hillary clinton: i will work every single day to make a difference in your lives, to knockdown the barriers that stand in your way, to make sure that every child has a chance to live up to his or her god-given potential and that america, we live up to hours and our best days will still be ahead of us. thank you all, and god bless you. [cheers and applause]

♪ c-spanng campaign 2016, takes you on the road to the white house as we follow the candidates on c-span, c-span radio, and i www.c-span.org . next, republican presidential candidate and ohio governor john kasich talks to supporters at the state's capital columbus. next tuesday, ohio hold his presidential primary.

governor kasich spoke for about 10 minutes. [cheers and applause] john kasich: i think we have had another real -- [cheers] john kasich: that was a good voice maybe we should hire them. from where pleased we have come. we came from single digits. in all likelihood, going to finish in second place with over 20%. [cheers and applause]

john kasich: and, you know, we are all familiar with march madness and now, the home-court vantage is coming north. next week we are going to win the state of ohio. [applause] john kasich: i want to think so many of you who have been to new hampshire, who have been living in michigan, going up there. the strength of our team, the intensity of the people. and you know why? because it is a positive campaign that lays out a specific vision for america based on the accomplishments of the past. we are now moving into a position where the people of america are beginning to hear this message. [applause]

john kasich: there are some interesting statistics for the late voters in michigan. about 35% of them went for our campaign. another thing you should know is with the contest going forward, the three of us competing for the delegates that remain, we are in a virtual dead heat among those -- [cheers and applause] you know, to the americans that are watching tonight -- they are watching here in the u.s. and around the world. it is a great story. we struggled and worked in of security for a very long time. always believing that once this calendar started to head north, once i had an opportunity with my team to be able to express messageage -- and the

is very simple. we know the three things that matter most are jobs, jobs, and jobs and we know the way to get them is commonsense regulation. we do not stomp out the success of small business, lower tax cuts on individuals and businesses, and an ability to finally have some fiscal sense in the united states of america. [applause] john kasich: we know that with fiscal strength and commonsense regulations and lower taxes, we will be able to create jobs. in our country today, people feel economic insecurity. they are worried about their job. they're worried about their

wages. they are worried about their sons and daughters who have a college education with high deb t, still loving at home, unable to find the work they want to have. those feelings are real among americans. the concerns about whether mom will be able to get her social security, or whether 18-year-olds believe they have a better chance of seeing a ufo .han a social security check these things and these concerns are real, but i can promise you, in the first 100 days we will have a shock and awe program for the congress of the united states to get america moving again. [cheers and applause] john kasich: you know, i know

americans are wondering who can address this. well, listen. when you have a record of success in washington dc, where i fought the entire establishment to get us to a balanced budget and economic growth, and here in ohio, taking a state that had lost 350,000 jobs and implementing the formula that does now allow us to provide jobs in this state for over 400,000 families, we know what the formula is. [cheers and applause] john kasich: boy, you have been pent up tonight. ok. but i also want you to know that in the course of doing this we are going to shift a lot of

power and a lot of money and a lot of influence back to where we live. we know that the strength of our country rests in our families, in our neighborhoods, in our communities. i will be the ceo to get these things straightened out. it is what i get paid to do if you elect me president. if i need you, i will call you. ok? but we also know that with the power you will then have in your hands, it is up to us to change the world where we live. and for the people out there who feel as though nobody pays attention, the ones that lived in the shadows, the mentally ill, the drug addicted, the working poor who get penalized for working harder and a smarter , or for the developmentally disabled, or our friends in the minority community, as we rise economically, no one will be left behind in the united states of america. [cheers and applause]

john kasich: i want to thank the people of michigan. it is a beautiful state. it is an incredible state. the people are so nice. i had such a great time. but i have to tell you i landed in cleveland today. i got down on my hands and knees and almost kissed the ground to be back in the state of ohio. [cheers and applause] and i want you to know, i am going to continue to run a positive campaign and not get down in the gutter or throw mud at anybody. [cheers and applause]

john kasich: so, i think people are beginning to reward a positive campaign. one is that they say to their children, this is the way to conduct yourself in politics. i think people are beginning to see that and secondly, because of that. just wait one week from tonight. we are going to win the state of ohio and it will be a whole new ballgame. [applause] john kasich: we will win in the state because of you. not because of me. i'm just the orchestra leader. but all of you together can move mountains. you know, we have learned a lot about ohio from a person walking on the moon, two people learning how to fly, and is somebody who actually turned a light bulb on.

in ohio, we are determined. we are special. and i believe that when we win next tuesday, we will send a message not just to the country, but we will send a message to the world that positive ideas coupled with vision and accomplishment, lifting everyone and getting us to remember that we are americans -- frankly, americans before we are republicans and democrats. conservative principles will work for the rest of the country. thank you all very much. god bless commission point -- god bless! ♪ >> i am a teacher. the most important issue to me is education. i am looking at the candidates very closely for their programs in education. i am not happy over the last 15 years or so with all of the standards and common core that has been happening. i'm am going to vote for either bernie sanders or hillary

clinton. i am happy with both of those choices and i am interested to see what their education plans would turn out to be. >> i have decided i am voting for ted cruz for the candidacy because he is a constitutional scholar, he is eloquent, and he is principal. he is the most consistent out of the candidates so far. >> republican presidential candidate marco rubio held a in florida. voters go to the polls in florida next tuesday, which is senator rubio's home state. from c-span's road to the white house, this is 45 minutes. marco rubio: thank you!

i have traveled the entire country now, a lot of parts of this country, campaigning for president. ,t this tonight, this weather this is why people live in florida right here. [cheers and applause] marco rubio: so here we are. it always comes down to florida, doesn't it? and not once but twice we will have to decide the presidency here, but it starts a week from tonight actually, it has already started because people are already voting. in this election, it is not just the choice between candidates. we are deciding the definition of what it means to be a conservative in the 21st century. we are deciding our identity as a nation and as a people. now, lets you white america is so special. it was not because of a single person. it was because this nation was founded at its beginning on a there he powerful truth that our rights do not come from the

government. our rights do not come from our leaders. our rights do not come from our law. our lights come from our creator. our rights come from god. [applause] marco rubio: we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, endowed by our creator with certain and a legal rights. chief among them, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. it was upon that powerful principle that this nation was founded and has prospered. for over two centuries, each generation did what they needed to do to ensure this nation was even better for their kids than it was for them. now we have reached a crossroads again. after eight years of barack obama and two decades of failure in washington, everything that makes us special in america is in danger. it is the reason why in 2009 and 2010, i was just a private citizen after serving in the florida legislature for eight years, and i chose to run for

the united states senate against incredible odds. my opponent was the sitting sort -- the sitting governor of florida. his name was charlie crist. [booing] marco rubio: and he was beating me by 60 or 70 points in the polls. the entire republican dcablishment in washington supported him. i had no idea how i would raise the money to succeed. everything i knew about politics told me i would lose. but i understood then, barack obama had just been in office a few months, and i understood that if we did not have a senator that would go up and stand up to the obama agenda and offer a clear alternative, things would only get worse. and so, i chose to run against those odds. and florida believed in me. and before it even went to the primary, charlie crist had it done what he should have done a long time ago. he left the republican party and

we defeated him. [cheers and applause] marco rubio: and in my time there, i have indeed stood up to the obama agenda and offered a clear alternative. i am proud that in our time there, despite the fact that harry reid has basically shut down the united states senate four out of the last five years, we got things done what we said we would. i, along with jeff miller, we passed the va accountability act, which means today, senior executives at the va who are not doing a good job, they can be fired for the first time ever. [applause] marco rubio: earlier this year, i passed a law -- bipartisan, by the way -- that passed sanctions on hezbollah, a terrible terrorist group that targets israel and hates america. everyone running for president says they are against obamacare. i am the only when running for president that has done anything about it. you see, i led the effort and we

got rid of the obamacare bailout fund that was going to use your taxpayer money to bail out private insurance companies, and we wiped that out. [applause] marco rubio: i have stood up to the obama agenda and i have offered a clear alternative. but i have learned over the last five years that while a member of congress can help shape the agenda, only a president can set the agenda. our next president must be someone willing to undo all of the damage barack obama has done and craft a new course for america's future. and that is what i will do if you give me the chance to be the next president of the united states. [cheers and applause] presidento: i run for on a very simple platform. and that is this. we are going to return to the principles that made america as great as possible. when i am president, for the first time in eight years, you will have a president that actually follows the constitution of the united states of america.

[applause] marco rubio: the next president of the united states will appoint at least two to three supreme court justices. you know one already because of the passing of justice scalia. the balance of the court and constitution is at stake. when i am president of the united states, we are going to appoint judges to the supreme court who understand the constitution is supposed to be applied according to its original meaning, not whatever he wanted to mean -- which is what these liberal judges are doing now. [applause] marco rubio: when i am president of the united states, for the first time in eight years, you will have a president that defense your first amendment right to live out the teachings of your faith in every aspect of your life. [applause] marco rubio: for the first time in eight years, you will have a president that protects your second amendment right to

defend yourself and your family. [applause] marco rubio: i served for eight and a half years in the florida legislature. i was the speaker of the house for two years. i am proud of my service there as well. we cut property taxes. we balanced our budgets. we brought vocational training back to our high schools without federal government, without common core. we fixed problems in my time there, and from and i have learned, that the best solutions , from the state level. not the federal level. that is why when i am president, we will follow the 10th amendment, and we are returning power to the states once again. [cheers and applause] marco rubio: we will follow the constitution of the united states when i can president and i will prove it on my first day in office. when i take the old of office and a swear to protect and defend and uphold the constitution, unlike barack obama, i will mean it. after i take the oath of office, i'm going straight to the oval

office, and i'm going to repeal every single one of barack obama's unconstitutional executive orders. [applause] marco rubio: america is exceptional because of free enterprise. it works. look at all of these businesses here. look at the small businesses you own, run, and work for. why do they exist? not because of government. today, they exist despite government for government is crushing entrepreneurship, getting in our way. socialism does not work. it has never worked. big government stands in the way of the little guy, the people trying to start a business and grow. when i am president of the united states, you will have a president that knows for and a prize work. not because i inherited millions of dollars. i did not. there is nothing wrong with it, but i did not. my mother was a maid. my father was a bartender. they had jobs because free enterprise works. because someone created a job, and with that job they were able to raise our family.

free enterprise works because it is the only economic system in the world where you can make poor people richer, and you don't have to make rich people poorer. you can lift everyone up and you don't have to tear anyone down. [applause] marco rubio: i have a plan. i don't just give the speeches about free enterprise. i have a plan to reinvigorate free enterprise. go on her website to marcorubio .com and you will see we have a real plan to fix the tax code. we have a real plan to roll back regulations. we have a real plan to save social security and medicare. we have a real plan to balance our budget. i have a real plan to fully utilize all of our energy resources. and we have a real plan to repeal and replace obamacare once and for all. [applause] marco rubio: when i am president of the united states, you will

have a real commander in chief for the first time in eight years. [applause] marco rubio: our current commander in chief is a weak one. the front runner in this race does not even know what the nuclear triad is. he thinks it is a rock band. [laughter] marco rubio: our next commander in chief better be ready to lead from day number one. i say this to you with full confidence. i may not have lived as long as some of the people running, but no one running has more experience on foreign policy or national security than i do. [applause] i served the state with the incredible presence of veterans in the military. in northeast florida, we understand the critical part of our country our military is.

today in a world growing increasingly dangerous, barack obama, with the help of some republicans, are gutting the u.s. military. the world is crazy today. you have a sociopath, a lunatic, in north korea with nuclear weapons. the chinese government is trying to take over the south china sea. you have vladimir putin sowing instability in the middle east. iran is about to relieve sanctions relief because of barack obama's deal with the ayatollah. radical terrorists are spreading all over the world. isis has affiliates in over a dozen countries now. in the face of all of this danger, he is gutting our military. because of these defense cuts, we will soon have the smallest army since the end of world war ii. we will have the smallest navy we have had in 100 years. we are on the verge of having the smallest air force in our entire history. the average age of an airplane in the air force is 27 years old. it means the pilots are younger than the planes.

this cannot continue. here is what is so sad about it. it is unfair to our men and women in uniform. we are still asking them to go into harm's way. but we are asking them to go in harm's way with less equipment, less training, and less people alongside them. [applause] sen. rubio: we are still asking them to go in harm's way while their paycheck and benefits are being cut. we have servicemen and women facing foreclosure, facing real economic hardship, and they are halfway around the world getting shot at. and it makes no sense. these defense cuts, this defense spending is not the reason for our national debt. and that is why when i am president of the united states, we will undertake a reagan-style rebuilding of the united states military. [applause] [crowd chanting "marco"]

sen. rubio: we are going to have a real war on terror. the one we have now is fake. barack obama is releasin terrorists from guantanamo now on a weekly basis. 33% of them rejoin the battlefield against us. this has to stop. we don't want war. we want peace. but to achieve peace, you must sometimes defeat the enemies of peace. radical islamic jihadists like isis are enemies of peace. when i am president, the best intelligence agencies in the world will i know. the finest military in the world will destroy them. when we captured them alive, they will not have the right to remain silent. they are not coming to a courtroom in the united states. they are not coming to a jail in america. they are going to guantanamo. we are going to stand with our allies when i am president.

this president has betrayed our allies like israel. he treats the ayatollah of iran with more respect than he gives the prime minister of israel. it is an outrage. the front runner in this race, donald trump, was asked if he would take sides between israel and the palestinians. and he said he would not. i want you to know when i am president, we are taking sides. we will be on israel's side. [applause] sen. rubio: i will prove it, as i have already in my time in the senate. i will prove it on my first day in office. because after i am done repealing obama's unconstitutional executive orders, the next thing i'm going to do is cancel barack obama's deal with the ayatollah of iran. [applause] sen. rubio: when i am president, we are going to take care of our veterans again. in florida, one out of the four calls that come into our offices

are veterans. veterans struggling with the v.a., veterans being treated as if the v.a. is doing them a favor instead of the other way around. my brother is a veteran. he lives in jacksonville, florida. he was in the army. he was the seventh special forces green beret. one day, he jump out of an airplane and knocked out his front teeth. every few years, he has to have a dental claim filled. it is always a hassle. they asked him to prove it happened in the army. and he says it is the only time i jumped out of a plane. there is no accountability at the v.a. even though i passed a law that gives the president power to fire people that do not do their job, there is no accountability. two weeks ago, "usa today" had a headline that said calls to the v.a. suicide hotline were going to voicemail. no one was fired for that. three days ago, it was reported a veteran committed suicide and

the day after he died they called him back. he had left a message on the voicemail. still no has been fired. this is an outrage. there are good people at the v.a., and we thank them for what they do. but there are people at the v.a. not doing their job. when i am president, if you are not serving our veterans, you will lose your job at the v.a. you will be fired. [applause] sen. rubio: i want to ask all of our veterans to raise their hands so we can thank you for your service. god bless you. god bless our veterans. [applause] sen. rubio: i want our veterans to know this. when i am president of the united states, if you are happy at the v.a., you keep going to the v.a. but when i am president, our veterans will be able to take their v.a. benefits to any doctor they want to see.

many of our veterans do not stop serving us when they come home. you go to any fire department in america, and a police station in america, any sheriffs department in america, and you will find a disproportionate number of veterans. i was required of this week ago. a week ago sunday, i was in virginia. the news was about three police officers that had been shot. this is happening far too often in america. one of those three officers died. she was a marine reservist, a veteran on her first day on the job. i think it is always appropriate to take a moment to thank our firefighters, police officers, sheriff's deputies for everything they do for us. [applause] sen. rubio: when i am president, you will have a president that will never be ashamed to defend the traditional values that shaped our nation.

you can't have a strong country without strong people. can't have strong people without strong values. you cannot have strong values without strong families. the job of having strong families belongs to us. the most important job i will ever have is to be a husband to my wife and a father to my children. [applause] sen. rubio: that we should never have government policies that hurt families. we have a tax code that punishes marriage. that will end when i am president. we have safety net programs that have become a way of life. a safety net and welfare was not supposed to be a way of life. that was to help people with a hand up and not a handout. we will change that. [applause] sen. rubio: we have safety net programs that discourage marriage. and we have a president and justice department that is not defending our faith community from discrimination. that will change.

we cannot have strong people without strong values. you will not have strong values without a strong community to support the family. we will support the family. we will support the faith community. and you will have a president who will never be ashamed of our traditional values and afraid to say that all human life is worthy of the protection of our laws. [applause] sen. rubio: as you can see, we have a lot of work to do because barack obama has done a lot of damage to america. we can't change this country. we can't embrace a better future if hillary clinton is elected president of the united states. to begin with, she would follow all of the obama agenda. if we lose this election to hillary clinton, obamacare is permanent. all those unconstitutional executive orders are permanent.

the next supreme justice will be a liberal. if we lose this election, the consequences are generational. we cannot afford to nominate someone who is not a conservative who can win. i know that i can win. the democrats know that i will win. hillary clinton attacks me more than any other republican because she does not want to run against me. but i cannot wait to run against hillary clinton. [applause] sen. rubio: because hillary clinton is unqualified to be president of the united states. she put classified information on her private server. and for that, she is now under f.b.i. investigation. hillary clinton is disqualified from being commander-in-chief because she lied to the families of the victims of benghazi. anyone who lies to the families of americans who have lost their

lives in the service of our country can never be the commander in chief of the united states of america. [applause] sen. rubio: this country desperately needs to return to the principles of our conservative movement. we must stop and remind ourselves of what conservativism truly is. with the passing of nancy reagan two days ago, it was a moment to pause to remember what happened 36 years ago with the election of ronald reagan. ronald reagan defined conservativism for an entire generation. it is not a coincidence there are so many people my age who are conservatives leading this country. look at how many up-and-coming conservative leaders there are in america. who is the up-and-coming young liberal leader? bernie sanders. [laughter] sen. rubio: because ronald reagan defined conservativism. conservativism was about

adhering to the constitution, which limited the power of the federal government. not because we don't care, but because we do care. because we understand more often than not, when the federal government gets involved in things is not supposed to be involved in, it makes it worse. not better. conservativism is about free enterprise, a free economy where people are rewarded on their merit, work, skill. not on their connections. not on the family name. not on their access to power or ability to influence government. conservativism is about a strong national defense because history has taught us weakness is the enemy of peace. weakness invites war and miscalculation. strength is the best way to achieve peace. conservativism is about traditional values that have served mankind for thousands of years. that is what conservativism is about. it has never been about anger.

conservativism has never been about fear. you have a right to be angry. government has failed you. your parties have failed you. your leaders have failed you. the media has failed you. our universities and colleges have failed us. except for the university of florida. [laughter] [applause] sen. rubio: i had to drop that in. friendly territory, i hope. go, gators. i need everybody's vote. i cannot lose any votes. you know how i feel. all of our institutions have failed us. and people are frustrated. you can use that anger to motivate you to take action. but don't let anger define us. we have never been an angry people. we have always been an optimistic people, realistic about our challenges, but optimistic about our future. do not let the circumstances we face divide us against each other, for we are all still

american, even if we disagree about certain things. we share a common destiny. we cannot have a great nation if we leave anyone behind. but we must return to these principles of conservativism, and we must apply them to the challenges of our time. conservativism is about the principles i outlined. it is also about real ideas. it is not enough to stand up here and say we are going to make america great again. you deserve to know how. you deserve to know how you are going to do that. [applause] sen. rubio: because if you don't know the how, how do you hold anyone accountable? how do you really know what you are getting? how do you really know where we will wind up? we have to nominate and elect a conservative that can unite this party. i told you how important it is that we defeat hillary clinton. we are not going to defeat her

if we nominate someone that over 60% of our party rejects and 1/3 of our party refuses to vote for. i can unite his party. it is not just about you 19 the party could we have to grow it. we have to take our conservativism to people not voting for us now and convince them conservativism is right for them. i know i can do that because i have done it my whole life. i will take conservativism to people who struggle to live paycheck to paycheck. i can do that because i grew up paycheck to paycheck, because i have lived paycheck to paycheck. i will take conservativism to young americans struggling under student loan debt, because i had over $100,000 in student loans not long ago. i remember what it was like to pay sallie mae $1000 a month. i never met her. she took a lot of my money.

we need to take the conservative message to young families raising their children. i can do that because my wife and i are raising our four children in the 21st century, and we know how hard it has become to instill in them the values they teach in our church instead of the values they try to ram down our throat in the popular culture. we will take our values and win. i know we will win because last saturday, i traveled to the island of puerto rico. a place that does not vote for republicans often. i did not go there is a moderate nor as a liberal. i went there as a conservative talking about balanced budget, limited government, free enterprise, and the constitution. on sunday, over 70% of people on the island of puerto rico voted for me, and i won that primary. [applause]

sen. rubio: because our nation knows we have gone too far and it is time to turn around, and we will. i want you to know i am passionate about this issue personally america is not just the country i was born in. america is the country that changed the history of my family. my parents were not born in america. my parents understood america with special because they knew what life is like outside of america. my parents knew what it was like to live in a society that says it does not matter how hard you work, how good you are, if your parents were not the right people, you would only be allowed to go so far. i just described to you the human condition for almost all of history. almost every person that has ever lived has lived in a society that trapped them in the circumstances of their birth. in 1956, my parents came here. they had nothing.

my father lost his mother when he was nine, so he never finished school. he worked from the time he was nine years old. my mother did not have it much easier. she was one of seven girls raised in rural cuba by a disabled father. and they struggled. when they came here in 1956, they had no money. they barely knew anyone, barely had any education, and barely knew english. life was hard. a few years ago, i wrote a book and started interviewing my mom to write about their history. she told me something i had never heard before. she said we first got to america, we were very discouraged. it was so hard. we could not find work. we worked really hard. we had to share an apartment with her sister and her family. they wonder if they made a mistake and even about going back to cuba at one point. you cannot imagine how glad i am they did not. they stuck it out.

they persevered. less than 10 years after my parents came here under those conditions, my father by then was just a bartender on miami beach. and they bought their first home in a safe and stable neighborhood. [applause] sen. rubio: they never became rich and they never became famous. but my parents became incredibly successful people because working as a bartender and a maid, they raised a family. they retired with dignity. and most important of all, they live to see all four of their children live a life better than their own. that story would not have been possible in any nation on earth except here. and that story is not just my story. that story is our story. in this country, we are all but a generation or two removed from a story not unlike that one.

whether they came here from another country or not, we are all a generation or two removed from someone who made your future the purpose of their lives. it is what your grandparents did for your parents. or maybe it is your father that worked two jobs so you could have a better future. maybe it was your mother who gave up on her dreams so you could live yours. maybe i'm describing you now. maybe you are the bartender and maid working hard jobs and discouraged but willing to do what it takes so your kids can have the life you always wanted. this is who we are. this is what makes america special. that is the american dream it changed my life, years, and the world. that american dream separates us from every other society in the history of mankind. it is not dead, but it is in a lot of trouble. we must either save it now, or we will have to explain to our children why we were the generation that lost it.

all the things that made america special were not automatic. our great country did not happen on its own. for over two centuries, each generation before us confronted a challenge is unsolved problems. each generation did what they needed to do to ensure their children inherited a better life and country. the time has come for our generation to do our part. the moment has arrived for us to do what americans before us did. the time has come for us to do for our children when our parents did for us. when i am president, this generation will do its part. [applause] sen. rubio: when i am president, we will confront our challenges. we will solve our problems. we will deal with what needs to be dealt with. i know times are tough. do not let anyone take advantage

of that to pull you into voting for something that is not true. i know times are tough. but i want you to believe, as reagan did, that americans can do anything. my grandfather was a huge influence on my life. he lived with us until he passed away. i would sit for hours on the porch of our home as he smoked one of his three daily cigars. he lived to be 84 by the way. my grandfather told me this story once. he was born in 1899. when he was born, there were not even airplanes in the sky. kind of weird to think about that. if there was something in the sky flying, it was a u.f.o., not a plane. on a summer evening in 1969 my grandfather, who was born before there were airplanes in the sky, watched on a small black and white television as an american set foot on the moon. do you know what he said to himself that he told me years later?

he shook his head and said, my goodness, americans can do anything. they can put a man on the moon. they can do anything. [applause] sen. rubio: things can do anything. we can solve these problems. we can fix what ails us. we can confront our challenges. we can leave a better future. if you elect me president, we will. but i need your vote. early voting is open. vote now so you can spend the next six days finding other people to vote for me. [applause] sen. rubio: if you listen to the media, they will tell you he is an underdog. i say i have been an underdog my whole life. we are a state of underdogs, a nation of underdogs. and i will fight as long and hard as i have to, to ensure

hillary clinton is not president and a conservative is in the white house in 2016. [applause] sen. rubio: i need your help. i believe with all my heart the winner of the florida primary next tuesday will be the nominee of the republican party. so you are given an incredible task. you are given an incredible task a week from now. and i need your help. i need your vote. as difficult as things may seem, i want you to know what history will say about us if we do what needs to be done. it will say that we, this generation of americans, lived in the early years of this new century, in a very difficult time. our economy was changing. we were competing with more countries than ever. many of the jobs we once relied on were being replaced by machines or sent to another country. college degree was no longer

enough, and often too expensive. the world was more dangerous. jihadists were spreading. it was a very difficult time. but like the americans that came before us, we faced a choice. we almost got it wrong. after eight years of barack obama and a crazy election, we almost got it wrong. but then remembered who we were and what america was. then we remembered americans could do anything. like the generations before us, we rose up and confronted our challenges could we rose up and solve our problems. we rose up and embraced our opportunities. we did what needed to be done. when our work was done, we left our children as the freest and most prosperous americans that ever lived because we did what needed to be done. the american dream did not just survive. it reached more people and changed more lives than ever before.

because we did what needed to be done, the 21st century was better than the 20th century. it was a new american century. this is the exciting future that awaits us. this is the future with can craft for ourselves and our children. but we have to do it now. we still have time to get it right, but we do not have forever. we must do it now and we must do it in 2016. i want to thank all of you for coming and waiting for me. i apologize if after the events i rush off. i have one more thing to do today if my voice does not leave me. i have been struggling with it all week. thank you, sir. i appreciate it. i want you to know you believed in me wants. i'm asking you to believe again. we can win this election and we will. i need your help next tuesday

because we are going to win florida in the primary, in november, and we are going to turn this country around and leave for our children what americans always leave their children -- the single greatest nation in the history of all mankind. thank you and god bless you. god bless all of you. thank you. [applause] [no audio] on on today's washingtn

iournal, we talk to loru wallach and former representative watts about the op campaign. >> when i tune in, ususally it is authors using new releases. fort is the best television serious readers. you author, after author, after author. >> they work with the most fascinating people.

>> presidential candidate ted spoke to supporters in charlotte, north carolina. senator cruz was critical of his republican rival, donald trump. voters go to polls in north carolina next tuesday. >> ♪ happiness ain't out of reach i've seen enough to know the stars in the skies ♪ [applause] >> [crowd chanting "cruz"] sen. cruz: god bless the great state of north carolina. [applause] sen. cruz: what a blessing it is

to be here with so many freedom-loving patriots. [applause] sen. cruz: what a blessing it is to be joined here today by dr. michael brown. thank you for your strong, powerful, courageous voice. [applause] sen. cruz: what a blessing to be joined by representative larry pittman. thank you for your leadership. [applause] sen. cruz: and how about the benham brothers? [applause] sen. cruz: all right, $1 to anyone who can tell which is which. [laughter] sen. cruz: i don't think they know. [laughter] sen. cruz: but what an extraordinary voice for their christian faith. unapologetic and unafraid at a

time of fear and timidity, they stand up and speak the truth with a smile that is so needed to be heard. [applause] sen. cruz: pastor mark harris, thank you for your incredible leadership. thank you for the voice you have in north carolina and beyond. thank you for speaking and preaching god's word. and thank you for calling this nation to revival. [applause] sen. cruz: today is election day, yet again. now right now, the votes are still being cast. we don't know the results of the elections today. but what we do know is that something powerful is happening. [applause]

sen. cruz: we do know we are coming into this election with incredible momentum. we know we are closing the gap in state after state after state. we noticed a few minutes ago, a new "wall street journal" poll came out that had us in a statistical tie for first place nationwide with donald trump. [cheers and applause] sen. cruz: you know, it is worth stepping back for a minute to reflect on the journey of how we got here and where we are going from here. a year ago, we started with 17

republican candidates. it was a remarkable field, tremendous, diverse, talented, young. quite a contrast with the democrats. [laughter] [applause] sen. cruz: we were blessed with an abundance of talent. and over the course of the year, we have seen that field narrow. it has narrowed and narrowed. going into the first big election, the state of iowa, i remember watching the pundits the night before. every one of the pundits on said there was no way we could win. every one of them said donald trump was going to win iowa, he was unstoppable. nothing could get in his way. he was on every station, on every tv.

and yet, they forgot about something. they forgot about the people. on election day in the state of iowa, we saw the largest turnout in the history of the iowa caucuses -- and we won a landslide victory. [applause] sen. cruz: that was the beginning of a pattern we began to see. state after state, record turnouts for republicans. and dismal turnouts for democrats. and that suggest the winds of change be a coming. and then on super tuesday, a major inflection point in this campaign. on super tuesday, once again turning on the tv, every pundit said donald trump

will sweep super tuesday. he is unstoppable. we, the media, have decided the republican nominee. his name is donald j. trump. he is a liberal democrat from new york slated to lose to hillary clinton. but once again, they forgot something. the people. on super tuesday we saw, to the astonishment of the pundits, a tremendous victory in the state of oklahoma. [applause] a tremendous victory in the state of alaska. [applause] sen. cruz: and then in my home state of texas, we saw a landslide victory in texas. [cheers and applause]

sen. cruz: i have to tell you, that election was particularly meaningful to me. texas is my home. the men and women of texas are the men and women who five years ago i campaigned across the state making promises, looking in the eyes saying if you elect me, i will go to washington. i will fight with every breath in my body to stop obamacare, to stop amnesty, to stop the debt, to defend our religious liberty, to defend the bill of rights, to bring back jobs. [applause] sen. cruz: like the gentleman pastor harris told you about in west texas who grabbed me by the shoulder and looked me in the eyes. those are the promises i made.

those are the men and women who know me best, who know my heart, and we won that landslide victory because they said, ted, you have kept your word and done exactly what you said you would do. [applause] sen. cruz: and then we had super saturday. once again, the pundits also donald trump was going to win all four states. had a big lead. nothing to do about it. but it was interesting on election day. in kansas -- [applause] sen. cruz: donald and i were both in kansas. we were both in wichita. we were both at the same caucus site. we spoke back to back to the voters. all the pundits said donald was going to win kansas.

not only did he not win kansas, not only did we win kansas, but we won in a landslide with nearly 50% of the vote. [applause] sen. cruz: double what donald trump received in the state of kansas. [applause] sen. cruz: that same day in the great state of maine, all the pundits said trump was going to win maine. you know what happened? we won maine. they set a conservative cannot win in new england. the people of maine at something different to say about it. and then the state of louisiana, where donald went in with a huge

lead, and yet we ended up tying him in the delegates because on election day, we beat him on election day in the state of louisiana. [applause] sen. cruz: so where are we today? today, four states vote. today we've got mississippi, michigan, idaho, and hawaii voting right now. we are closing the gap in each of them. we have tremendous teams on the ground in each of them. in mississippi yesterday, i was proud to receive the endorsement of the governor, bill bryant, who stood with me. [applause] sen. cruz: and here is the dynamic we are seeing play out. to the trump supporters --

[laughter] sen. cruz: i will say i understand the people who are supporting donald trump. you are angry. you're angry at washington. you're angry at politicians who have lied to us, who make promises and go to washington and do exactly the opposite of what they said they would do. i understand being angry because i am angry, too. every one of us is angry at being lied to and what they are doing to the country when they are breaking their word. [applause] sen. cruz: and i understand if you are angry with washington that donald can seem appealing because he is a loud, angry,

profane, and cursing voice that can be seen as a vessel for that anger. but here is the simple, undeniable truth. if you are frustrated with the corruption of washington, you don't solve that problem by voting for someone who has been enmeshed in the washington corruption for 40 years. [applause] sen. cruz: donald trump has supported liberal democrats, going back to supporting jimmy carter over ronald reagan. he supported joe biden, harry reid, chuck schumer. he supported john kerry over george w. bush. he contributed twice to hillary clinton's presidential campaign in 2008. he helped fund harry reid and nancy pelosi taking over

congress, which is what gave us obamacare. now if you are fed up with the corruption of washington, the answer is not supporting someone who has been funding and profiting off of that washington corruption for decades. [applause] sen. cruz: so we are seeing the voters recognize this guy is not what i thought. the media, all these anchors describe him as the insurgent. there ain't nothing insurgent about this guy when he has been lining the pockets of every d.c. politico for 40 years, he is about as insurgent as george soros.

how is that for an insurgent? [applause] sen. cruz: do you know what insurgents do? they actually stand up to washington. they don't fund washington. they say no when washington is harming the people. [applause] sen. cruz: and the dynamic we are seeing, and the reason our campaign is surging, there are 70% of republicans who recognize donald trump is not the best candidate to go head-to-head with hillary. and if we nominate donald trump, we lose. hillary beats trump and beats him badly, which means if we nominate donald trump, we lose the supreme court for a generation. we lose the bill of rights for a generation.

our children drown in debt. the 65% to 70% of republicans that recognize nominating donald trump is a disaster, here's what we are seeing happening. the states that are voting today and coming up, we are seeing those republicans unifying behind this campaign. [applause] sen. cruz: because here is what the elections have made indisputably clear. there is only one campaign that has beaten donald trump repeatedly and that can and will beat donald trump in this nomination. [applause]

sen. cruz: at this point, our campaign has beaten donald not once, not twice, not three times -- but seven different times in states all over this country. [applause] sen. cruz: today, it is our hope that those numbers will go up. we will find out late tonight. one week from today is yet another big, big election day. [applause] sen. cruz: one week from today, the people of north carolina get to speak. [applause] sen. cruz: one week from today, we hear from florida, and ohio,

and illinois, and missouri. let me tell you, the combination of today, and a week from today, we are in the middle of march madness. [applause] sen. cruz: i am told folks in carolina know something about that. we are deciding the future of our kids and grandkids. north carolina, right now, is a battleground state in this primary. we effectively tied with donald trump in north carolina. [applause] sen. cruz: it is neck and neck.

i want to take a minute to speak to people who may have been supporting somebody else. we started with 17 candidates. i want to speak to folks at home, maybe were supporting jeb bush, or chris christie, or mike huckabee, or rand paul, rick santorum. maybe you are supporting dr. ben carson. maybe you were supporting carly fiorina. maybe you are, right now, supporting marco rubio, or john kasich. every one of them good, honorable, decent people. every one of them i like, and respect. yet none of them has any viable path to beating donald trump and becoming the republican nominee. [applause] sen. cruz: if you were

supporting one of those other good, honorable people, let me tell you we welcome you to our team. [applause] sen. cruz: our incredible victories in kansas, and maine, were driven by people from other campaigns coming in joining us. coming together saying the only way to beat donald trump is if we stand together. [applause] sen. cruz: what donald trump wants is us divided. if we are divided, he wins the nomination. then hillary becomes the president. if we unite, that ain't gonna happen. [applause]

i invite you to come and stand and join together -- this election will come down to three simple issues -- jobs, freedom, and security. let's talk jobs. all across this country, people are hurting. i want to talk, for a minute, to the single moms were working 2-3 part-time jobs. you've have had your hours forcibly reduced to 28-29 hours a week because obamacare kicks in at 30 hours per week. i want to talk to all of the truck drivers, the plumbers, and electricians and mechanics, the men and women with calluses on your hands. seeing your wages not going up every year.

cost of living is going up, but somehow your wages don't seem to keep pace. i want to talk to the young people coming out of school to student loans coming out of your eyeballs. scared, am i going to get a job? what does the future hold? will i be able to provide for my family? the media tells us this is as good as it gets. let me tell you, that is an absolute lie. [applause] sen. cruz: it is easy to talk about making america great. you can even print to that on a baseball cap. the question is, do you

understand the principles that made america great in the first place? [applause] sen. cruz: the heart of our economy isn't washington, d.c., or new york city. the heart of our economy is small businesses all across this great nation. [applause] sen. cruz: you want to kill the economy you hammer small businesses like we have done the last seven years. you want to see unbelievable economic growth, take the boot of the federal government off the back of the neck of small businesses. [applause] sen. cruz: if i am elected president, we will repeal every word of obamacare. [applause]

>> [chanting] cruz, cruz, cruz. sen. cruz: we will pass commonsense health care reform to make health insurance personal, and portable, and affordable, and keep government from getting in between us and our doctors. [applause] sen. cruz: we will pass a simple, flat tax. [applause] sen. cruz: so every american can fill out his or her taxes on a postcard. when we do that, we should abolish the irs. [applause]

sen. cruz: we are going to rein in the epa in all the federal regulators that are hammering small businesses. we will stop amnesty, secure the borders, and end sanctuary cities. [applause] sen. cruz: donald trump likes to talk about immigration. there is one minor problem -- donald has been funding open border democrats for 40 years. the gang of eight amnesty battle with marco rubio joining up with

barack obama to push amnesty. donald trump funded the gang of eight. five of the eight members donald trump gave collectively over $50,000. i made a very different decision. i chose to honor the promises that i made to the men and women who elected me and i love the -- led the fight against amnesty and we defeated it in the u.s. congress. [applause] sen. cruz: did you notice at the last debate how many times donald said he was going to be flexible? let me tell you, flexible, in d.c., that is a code word for getting ready to stick it to you. because somehow, flexibility in d.c. always means cutting a deal

that benefits wall street, and the big corporate interests, and the working men and women get left in the cold. [applause] sen. cruz: we are going to repeal obamacare, abolish the irs, rein in the regulation, stop amnesty, secure the borders, and it will be millions of high-paying jobs. it will be wages going up for everybody. it will be young people coming out of school with 2,3,4,5 job offers. it will be morning in america again. [applause] sen. cruz: the second key issue in this election is freedom.

amen. just a few weeks ago, justice scalia's passing underscored for all of us the stakes of this election. it is not one branch, but two branches of government that hang in the balance. we are one liberal justice away from a radical five justice left wing majority the likes of which this nation has never seen. we are one justice away from the supreme court stripping away religious liberty from every person in this country. we are one justice away from the supreme court effectively erasing the second amendment from the bill of rights. we one justice away from the supreme court holding us subject to the authority of the world court, and the united nations, and international law, and giving up u.s. sovereignty.

you know, two debates ago, hugh hewitt asked each of us a question about religious liberty, and supreme court. donald turned to me and said ted, i've known a lot more politicians than you have. well, in that he is right. he has been supporting left-wing politicians practically longer than i've been alive. he said ted, when it comes to the supreme court, and religious liberty, you have to be prepared to compromise. you have to learn to work a deal, and negotiate with the democrats. let me be very clear to the men and women of north carolina -- i will not compromise away your religious liberty. [applause]

sen. cruz: i will not compromise away your second amendment right to keep, and bear arms. [applause] sen. cruz: the third key issue in this election is security. for seven years, we've seen a president who abandoned and alienates our friends and allies. he shows weakness and appeasement to our enemies. two debates ago donald trump explained to all of us that if he is president he intends to be neutral between israel and the palestinians.

let me be very clear, as president, i have no intention of being neutral. [applause] sen. cruz: america will stand , unapologetically, with the nation of israel. [applause] sen. cruz: israel is a democracy that values human rights and the military ally that provides precious intelligence and military support, keeping americans safe. the other is a murderous government that murders women and children. anyone that doesn't understand

the difference between that and one of america's most valuable allies raises questions about his ability to be commander-in-chief. [applause] sen. cruz: over the last seven years, we have seen the condition of our military deteriorate dramatically. we have seen our readiness undermined, morale plummeting. with a commander-in-chief who doesn't believe in the mission, and doesn't support, the military. we have seen this before. we have seen other left-wing democratic president who undermine the military -- jimmy carter. in 1981, ronald reagan came into office.

[applause] sen. cruz: what did reagan do? he cut taxes, lifted regulations, the economy exploded. jobs he use that revenue to rebuild the military. we bankrupted the soviet union and we won the cold war. i intend to do the exact same thing with radical islamic terrorism. we are going to a repeal of obama hair -- obamacare. millions of new jobs,