Townhall Magazine’s December 2013 issue is here! Check out an exclusive sneak peek of some of our top stories, and order Townhall Magazine today for these can't-miss articles:
- Amanda Munoz: Why Ted Cruz Fights - In an exclusive interview with Townhall Magazine's Amanda Munoz, the junior senator from Texas explains the urgency behind his fight against Obamacare and Big Government.
- Dear Ann... Fresh off the release of her latest book, "Never Trust a Liberal Over Three," Ann Coulter faces her next big challenge: answering Townhall Magazine reader questions.
- Brion McClanahan: Thomas Paine's Christmas Gift - At the darkest moment of the War of Independence, Thomas Paine penned a trenchant pamphlet which helped inspire George Washington's Christmas attack on Trenton.
- Dr. David Curry: Persecution Christians in the Middle East - How long will American leaders ignore the end of religious freedom in Christianity's birthplace.
Remember, our print features are generally 100 percent exclusive ... most won't run in full online!
Excerpted from Townhall Magazine's December cover story, "Why Ted Cruz Fights," by Amanda Munoz:
“There’s nothing more heartbreaking than walking out on Monday morning to get on a plane to Washington, and having both girls grab my legs and say, ‘Don’t go, Daddy.’ That’s difficult.”
It’s the first time this morning GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s face drops, as he chats with Townhall during an exclusive interview. Photos of smiling Caroline, 5, and Catherine, 2, flash in the background of his screen saver. His wife, Heidi, and their two daughters remain at the family home in Houston; and Cruz commutes to and from Washington, D.C., each week, leaving Mondays after dropping the girls off at school and typically returning on a Thursday night flight.
There’s a long pause.
“It’s incredibly difficult to be away from Heidi and the girls; but at the same time, they are a big part of why I’m doing this,” Cruz continues. “In 20 years, I don’t want to look my daughters in the eye and say we allowed freedom to slip away in America, and I didn’t do anything to stop it.”
The Underdog
On Jan. 3, 2013, the young Cruz, only 42, took his place amongst the ranks of U.S. senators, filling the seat former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison held since 1993.
The 2012 Senate campaign in Texas was hard-fought, and Cruz was the underdog. Running against the well-established, well-connected Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, prospects for victory were certainly unclear from the beginning. Dewhurst - with an estimated worth of about $200 million - had the money, name recognition, and political backing that made him all but a shoe-in for the seat. With Dewhurst endorsed by most of Texas’ major players, including Gov. Rick Perry, there were few who initially thought Cruz would be a formidable challenge.
But they were wrong.
Defeated in the May primary by approximately 11 percent, Cruz found redemption in keeping Dewhurst below the 50 percent threshold required in Texas. But Cruz had grassroots support and a savvy social media campaign. He won the July run-off in a landslide victory, earning 57 percent of the vote compared to Dewhurst’s 43, and swept the November general election beating his Democratic opponent, former state Rep. Paul Sadler, with a powerful 56 percent of the vote (compared to Sadler’s 41 percent).
His victory in an overwhelmingly red state did not reflect a changing tide across the country; Republicans lost seats in both chambers and Barack Obama was re-elected. However, his success and those of others like him—Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul—did mirror the changing nature of conservative candidates that began in 2010.
A Tea Party darling and purebred conservative, Cruz ran on one “simple” idea: Saving our country. And he won because he had the ability to do what very few in Washington have been able to do since 2008—inspire those listening to him to stay active and vocal.
Ironically enough, it was the manifestation of that same grassroots revival that would end up driving the Republican establishment mad come mid-September 2013
...continue reading in Townhall Magazine's December issue.
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