Ted Cruz Solidifies Christian Conservative Vote: Endorsed by More Than 200 Faith Leaders

Texas Senator Ted Cruz isn’t only surging in the polls, he’s also rolling out one endorsement after another. Earlier this week, both Rep. Steve King (Iowa) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (California) announced support for his candidacy for president.

Late yesterday evening, the two congressmen were joined by more than 200 faith leaders:

Presidential candidate Ted Cruz today announced additions to his Faith Leadership Team which include more than 200 faith leaders from around the nation. This follows the campaign’s announcement yesterday of it’s National Prayer Team, led by Cruz Crew volunteers, dedicated to a focused season of prayer on behalf of the nation, Cruz, and his family and staff.

The Cruz campaign says that the release of the 200+ names is “one in a series of releases announcing leaders of faith who support Ted Cruz for President.” Although the faith leaders hail from many different states, Iowans are prominently featured among them. I counted 74 faith leaders from that state.

These endorsements confirm findings of recent polls saying that Cruz is surging among Republicans in general, and especially among “very conservative” and “evangelical” voters. The main reasons for that development are Ben Carson’s foreign policy gaffes which are costing him dearly, and Cruz’s own background as a solid Christian conservative.

Ted Cruz’s father, Rafael, is a well-known pastor and has been campaigning for his son from day one. Clearly, the elder Cruz’s efforts are starting to pay off.

Although Cruz is currently in third place among evangelical voters according to a new NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll, these numbers are likely to go up after these endorsements. Additionally, Cruz is now purposefully targeting evangelical voters by starting a National Prayer Team. This team is led by Cruz staffers and will reinforce his reputation as a true Christian conservative, which just so happens to be the kind of candidate Iowa Republicans are looking for.

All in all, Cruz is clearly setting himself up for success in February of next year and beyond. He’s at 18% nationally according to the aforementioned NBC News poll, and continues to surge. As Ben Carson’s campaign continues to fade, Cruz is bound to benefit from it and unite evangelical and “very conservative” voters behind him.

When he does, he truly will be a force to be reckoned with.

Disclosure: Michael van der Galien co-founded Ted Cruz 45.