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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rick Tyler
News Release Catherine Frazier
November 16, 2015

Iowa Congressman Steve King Endorses Ted Cruz for President

HOUSTON, Texas – Today, the Ted Cruz for President campaign announced that Cruz hasreceived the endorsement of Congressman Steve King, an influential and outspoken conservative, particularly on the issues of immigration and fiscal responsibility. Congressman King has consistently said that it is critical the next President be someone who will fight unapologetically for conservative principles.

“Ted Cruz has the positive conservative vision for the country that we need to correct the failures of the Obama Administration,” said King. “When I survey the challenges facing our country, and the slate of individuals who have stepped forward to offer to lead, one man stands out as the courageous conservative whom I believe can restore the soul of America. That man is Ted Cruz. He has consistently and tirelessly fought on the issues that matter most to conservatives, such as Obamacare, religious liberty, life, and stopping Obama’s lawless executive actions. Cruz has a proven record of standing up to both Democrats and Republicans to put the American people first, and I believe he is the only one who can unite conservatives around his campaign and build the organization needed to beat Hillary Clinton. With Ted Cruz, conservatives no longer have to accept a Republican nominee who doesn’t truly share our values. I am endorsing Ted Cruz because I know we can trust him to do exactly what he says he will do, and we need that kind of commitment and dedication in the White House. That is why I am asking every one of my fellow Iowa Republicans to join me in caucusing for Ted Cruz.”

“I am beyond honored to receive Steve’s endorsement,” said Cruz. “Steve is a tremendous leader in the House and one of the few truly principled men and women in Washington. He is a courageous conservative who stands up for our values and refuses to back down. His support comes at a fantastic time for our campaign as we are seeing people in Iowa and across the country signing up, volunteering, contributing, and joining our campaign to reignite the promise of America. I can't thank Steve enough and know that his help gives us a significant advantage as we continue to grow and have success in Iowa and across the nation.”

King’s backing is a coveted endorsement in the Iowa caucus. The seven-term Congressman has been a consistent leader on issues such as immigration and protecting innocent life, and his endorsement is considered among the most influential in Iowa. Cruz has built a top-notch organization in the Hawkeye State, with at least one chair in each of Iowa’s 99 counties. He is among the leaders in total visits to Iowa and held one of the largest GOP campaign rallies in Iowa to date by organizing his “Rally for Religious Liberty” in Des Moines in August.

Paid for by Cruz for President
www.tedcruz.org



Ed. note - Most endorsements by congressmen do not get much reaction, but King has become a lightening rod for criticism from Democrats:


Democratic National Committee

Noisy Xenophobe Steve King Endorses Fellow Noisy Xenophobe Ted Cruz

It’s a match! Today, Ted Cruz – a man whose most high-profile accomplishment is masterminding the government shutdown which cost the U.S. economy $24 billion dollars – was endorsed by a man who has been dubbed one of the least-effective members of the House of Representatives: Iowa Representative Steve King.
 
Rep. King, a man known for his xenophobia and who once claimed that immigrants have “calves the size of cantaloupes” from hauling drugs across the border, has worked side-by-side with Ted Cruz and other Republicans to block any bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform proposal, including a path to citizenship.
 
Ted Cruz’s plan, which he released last week, proposes the following: 
 
·         Ends the 14th amendment’s guarantee to birthright citizenship
·         Limits legal immigration, including suspending the popular H1-B visa program for high-skilled foreign workers
·         Undoes the President’s executive actions to keep families together
 
“The man who talked about immigrants with cantaloupe calves sadly took this long to endorse because he has so many candidates to choose from. Whether it’s Jeb Bush slurring the children of immigrants, Marco Rubio who was for immigration reform before he was against it, or Ted Cruz who ironically wants to end the 14th amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship, this Republican field is the most anti-immigrant in recent memory. That approach not only hurts families, but it hurts our economy. To be clear, every single Democratic candidate for president firmly opposes Steve King’s mass deportation agenda and supports President Obama’s plan to keep immigrant families together, enact a path to citizenship for undocumented families living in the United States, and grow our economy through immigration reform. The Republicans represent the opposite course for America’s future.” – DNC Hispanic Media Director Pablo Manriquez

Iowa Democratic Party
For Immediate Release
November 16, 2015

Contact: Samuel Lau

IDP Statement on Steve King’s Endorsement of Ted Cruz

DES MOINES – IDP Communications Director Sam Lau issued the following statement in response to Steve King’s endorsement of Ted Cruz today:
 
“Today Steve King announced his endorsement of the Republican presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, who he believes will best champion his divisive views, hateful rhetoric and backwards-looking policies. 
 
“It should come as no surprise that Steve King, recently named the least effective members of Congress, would endorse Ted Cruz, the principal architect of the 2013 government shutdown that cost our economy $24 billion.
 
“What’s clear is that Steve King’s extreme policies, most notably his vocal opposition to immigration reform and hostile attitude towards immigrants, are now front and center in today’s Republican Party, and supported by most of the 2016 GOP presidential field.
 
“Iowans deserve far better than Steve King and the 2016 GOP presidential candidates who stand behind his misguided policies.”

Hillary for America

Clinton Campaign: Cruz Endorsement by King Reflects GOP’s Anti-Immigrant Agenda

In response to Congressman Steve King’s endorsement of Ted Cruz, Hillary for America Latino Outreach Director Lorella Praeli released the following statement:
 
“Steve King’s endorsement of Ted Cruz reflects how extreme and anti-immigrant today's Republican Party has become. No one should be proud to stand with a Congressman who believes that legalizing undocumented immigrants will ‘destroy our Republic’ and calls DREAMers ‘deportables.’  Unfortunately, that is the America Republicans are fighting for: a country that disgraces our immigrants and tears apart law-abiding families across the nation. This endorsement comes days after Cruz released his immigration plan, which not only neglects the reality we live in today, but counters the core values of who we are as a nation. Among other things, he would end DACA, DAPA and birthright citizenship -- threatening families who have become part of our nation's social fabric and economic engine. Very simply: Cruz’s vision is illogical, impractical and inhumane. Once again, it’s time to tell them: Ya basta. It's time to move America forward.”
 
Below are some of Congressman King’s offensive views on America’s immigrants:
 
·         “Giving them [undocumented immigrants] a path to legality and eventually a path to citizenship, I think that destroys our Republic” [Right Wing Watch, 4/16/15].
·         “Someone’s doing that to these kids that are being raped and abused….It’s a reasonable assumption to conclude the people doing that are Mexican” [International Business Times, 7/1/15].
·         “They’re [DREAMERs] across the street, those people that come from the other planet” [Politico, 1/24/15].
·          “They’ve [student immigrants] got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the dessert” [Newsmax, 7/24/13].
·         "The framers …could not have wanted to confer automatic citizenship on the babies of people who were unlawfully in the United States"[Huffington Post, 1/04/2013]
·         Office of Rep. Steve King: “King Introduces Bill Closing ‘Anchor Baby’ Loophole”.
·         Huffington Post: “Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said Friday that he was being "kind and gentle" when he referred to Michelle Obama's guest at the State of the Union address, a 21-year-old undocumented immigrant, as ‘a deportable.’”
 
Below is a snapshot of Cruz’s anti-immigrant views:
 
·         He said birthright citizenship “doesn’t make any sense anymore” [The Kelly File (Fox News), 8/25/15].
·         "I think we should use any and all means necessary to prevent the president from illegally granting amnesty" [Huffington Post, 9/9/14].
·         “I think a pathway to citizenship for those who are here illegally is profoundly unfair.” [Ted Cruz remarks, 4/29/15]
·         “The very first thing I intend to do on the first day is rescind every single unconstitutional or illegal executive action from President Obama” [Breitbart, 4/1/15].
·          “I like Donald Trump. I think he’s terrific. I think he’s brash. I think he speaks the truth.” [NYT, 6/30/15].
 
 
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For Immediate Release, November 16, 2015