p2016 header graphic

December 9, 2015

NOM Endorses Sen. Ted Cruz for President of the United States

Nation's preeminent organization dedicated to marriage and religious liberty says Cruz will be a "champion" for restoring and promoting marriage and religious freedom.

Washington, DC — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today announced they have endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz for president of the United States. NOM called Cruz a "proven champion" in support of marriage and religious liberty, and pledged they will do everything in their power to support his election.

"Sen. Ted Cruz is a proven champion for marriage and religious freedom and someone we can absolutely count on to fight to restore marriage to our nation's laws and defend the religious liberty of the tens of millions of Americans who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "Sen. Cruz has not only signed NOM's presidential marriage pledge committing to take specific actions as president, but he has personally authored the pending federal marriage amendment to restore the right of states to define marriage as one man/one woman. Moreover, he has spoken out consistently and forcefully on the campaign trail as an advocate of true marriage. We are pleased to endorse him and will do everything in our power to support his election."

NOM issued a Presidential Marriage Pledge to all the Republican candidates for president asking them to commit to take five specific actions as president, including working to overturn the US Supreme Court's narrow ruling redefining marriage, a ruling that dozens of legal scholars have called "illegitimate" and "anti-constitutional." The pledge was signed by Cruz, Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Rick Santorum and Gov. Bobby Jindal. While not signing NOM's pledge, Gov. Mike Huckabee issued his own pledge to the American people to fight for marriage, and Sen. Marco Rubio has spoken out powerfully in his campaign in support on marriage.

"The decision to endorse in the Republican primary race was a very difficult one," Brown said. "There are many tremendous candidates remaining who have made support for marriage a pillar of their careers in public service, including Sen. Rick Santorum, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Dr. Ben Carson and Sen. Marco Rubio. We realize that our endorsement of Sen. Cruz will be very disappointing to them. Should any of these candidates emerge as the Republican nominee we would enthusiastically support them. However, there is a real danger that conservatives will split the vote allowing someone like Donald Trump to emerge from the crowded field, which would be disastrous. Sen. Cruz has run the best campaign thus far, racking up endorsements and financial resources and climbing in the polls. We believe he has the best chance of uniting conservatives and going on to win the nomination."

NOM has a long track record of activism in support of traditional marriage across the country, and especially in key early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, where they have tens of thousands of supporters. The group was a principal player in the successful 2010 effort to remove three sitting Iowa Supreme Court Justices, including
the state's Chief Justice and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in that successful effort. They have co-sponsored several prominent presidential candidate forums this year in Iowa, providing thousands of Iowans the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates. The group also has invested heavily in New Hampshire political endeavors, where they worked to elect dozens of state legislators in recent years and were influential in the election of US Sen. Kelly Ayotte in 2010.

"Beginning in Iowa, and going on from there, we will do everything in our power to support Sen. Cruz and urge all our supporters to coalesce around his candidacy," Brown said. "It is imperative that a proven marriage champion emerge from Iowa and go on to capture the Republican nomination. Too much is on the line for supporters of marriage to sit on the sidelines and take the risk that the Republican nominee is someone who will not fight to restore marriage to the law in our nation. We are at a historic moment, and we urge all conservatives to unite behind Sen. Ted Cruz, a man of principle we can all count on to give his all to the cause of marriage and religious freedom."

# # #

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, please contact Paul Bothwell,

____________

Also posted, this letter from Brian Brown

Dear Marriage Supporter,

I have some exciting news:

After a great deal of consideration, NOM has decided to endorse Sen. Ted Cruz in the race for president of the United States!

Here is a link to our press release, issued moments ago.

We couldn't be prouder to support Sen. Cruz. Not only has he signed NOM's Presidential Marriage Pledge, but he's the sponsor of one of our key agenda items — a constitutional amendment to restore the right of states to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman — and he's a co-sponsor of another key proposal, the First Amendment Defense Act. Moreover, he's made marriage a clear, consistent and continual theme of his campaign, speaking out forcefully and with great frequency about the need to reverse the illegitimate ruling of the US Supreme Court redefining marriage, and protecting the rights of people to exercise their beliefs about marriage without fear of reprisal from governmental entities. We know that we can count on Sen. Cruz to be a true champion for marriage as president.

I know that some of you are supporting other candidates and naturally may be disappointed in our endorsement of Sen. Cruz. Indeed, making this endorsement was a difficult decision to reach because we have been blessed with so many great candidates this cycle. Several of them — including Dr. Ben Carson and Sen. Rick Santorum — joined Sen. Cruz in signing onto our Presidential Marriage Pledge (along with Gov. Bobby Jindal), while others have a long and distinguished record of championing marriage and religious liberty, especially Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sen. Marco Rubio. Should any of these outstanding candidates emerge as the Republican nominee we would enthusiastically support them. I consider several of them to be close friends.

We are endorsing Sen. Ted Cruz because of the urgent need for a marriage champion to emerge from the crowded field and capture the nomination. Unless conservatives come together behind a full-spectrum candidate — pro-marriage, pro-life, strong national defense, etc. — there is a real risk that someone like Donald Trump could win the nomination, which would be disastrous. We need a president with a proven track record of matching strong principles with concrete action, someone who will champion the fight for marriage, not walk away from it.

When it comes to marriage, Donald Trump folded like a cheap suit, saying that the US Supreme Court ruling has settled the matter and that we have to accept it. No, we don't have to accept it, and we won't accept it because it is wrong, illegitimate and anti-constitutional. We will fight as long as needed to reverse this travesty.

I hope you will join us in supporting Sen. Cruz for president, and contribute to the NOM Victory Fund so that we have the resources to promote his candidacy, and help elect other pro-marriage champions to the US Senate, House of Representatives and other offices.

Support the NOM Victory Fund Today!

We are at a historic moment. If the next president is a pro-marriage champion, we stand an excellent chance of reversing the Supreme Court ruling redefining marriage because the next president is expected to be able to appoint several new justices to the Court. It might take only one different justice on the Supreme Court to undo the illegitimate ruling on marriage. Further, with the stroke of a pen, a new president can protect the religious liberty rights of marriage supporters and prevent them from being targeted for punishment for refusing to accept the lie that is same-sex marriage.

A great deal is riding on the election of the next president. We are confident that in Sen. Ted Cruz we have a proven champion, someone we can count on to advance the cause of marriage in our nation. Please contribute to the NOM Victory Fund so that we may ensure that the cause of marriage can count on having champions in the White House, Congress and in statehouses around the country.

Faithfully,


Cruz for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rick Tyler
News Release Catherine Frazier
December 11, 2015  

In Case You Missed It...
National Organization for Marriage Endorses Cruz

HOUSTON, Texas - The National Organization for Marriage, one of the most active groups defending traditional marriage in state legislatures, Congress, and the courts, has endorsed Ted Cruz for President.  Cruz, a supporter of NOM’s Presidential Marriage Pledge, has a strong and proven record of standing up for religious liberty and the right of states to decide the definition of marriage. 
 
“Sen. Ted Cruz is a proven champion for marriage and religious freedom and someone we can absolutely count on to fight to restore marriage to our nation's laws and defend the religious liberty of the tens of millions of Americans who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "Sen. Cruz has not only signed NOM's presidential marriage pledge committing to take specific actions as president, but he has personally authored the pending federal marriage amendment to restore the right of states to define marriage as one man/one woman. Moreover, he has spoken out consistently and forcefully on the campaign trail as an advocate of true marriage. We are pleased to endorse him and will do everything in our power to support his election." 
 
“I am thrilled to have the support of the National Organization for Marriage,” said Cruz. “They are a staunch defender of traditional marriage and religious liberty, and a critical voice in protecting our rights. It is encouraging that conservatives are continuing to coalesce around my campaign: fiscal, national security, and social conservatives absolutely must unite if we are going to win this election and take back the country. I am proud to stand with NOM and look forward to their help in our campaign.”
 
###