Cruz endorses AZ conservative Paul Gosar in effort to fend off establishment attacks
The establishment may be singling out conservatives, but Cruz has their back.
The GOP establishment continues its unabated effort to purge the Republican Party of conservatives. After successfully lying about the record of Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan. (A, 91%) in order to remove him from office, they have set their sights on Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. (B, 83%). Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas (A, 97%) has come to Gosar’s defense with a ringing endorsement this morning.
“We need Paul Gosar back in Congress,” said Sen. Cruz. He continued, saying:
Ever since arriving in Congress, Paul has been a fighter for the people of Arizona and he has worked tirelessly to defend the issues important to conservatives like stopping illegal immigration and fighting President Obama’s lawless executive actions. I hope the people of Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District will join me in supporting Paul in his bid for re-election so he can continue to fight for jobs, freedom, and security for all Arizonans and Americans.
Conservative Review’s Daniel Horowitz explained how the establishment has focused on this race in an article last week. In it, Daniel argues that Gosar is one of the few elected Republicans who saw that leadership was leading them astray.
But unlike any other member, Gosar actually learned his lesson and got better over time. He realized the system was rigged and that leadership was a joke, and he never turned back after 2012. Since 2012, he has not only been a reliable conservative vote, but a conservative voice for so many initiatives on immigration. He joined in the fight against John Boehner and is always a reliable vote whenever conservatives need to take down a rule on bad legislation. In short, Gosar has become one of the most conservative members and a model for improvement in the House.
In comes his opponent, Ray Strauss, who is struggling to find a rationale for challenging such an indefatigable conservative fighter. So when he is interviewed by the press, he uses the same catch-phrases that other establishment challengers have used. Without tipping his hand that he’d be a shill for K Street and a reliable vote for Ryan and McCarthy, Strauss promises to be “more effective,” “persuasive,” mutually respectful,” and not “caustic” or “ineffective.”
Horowitz is correct. Since the 2012 election, Gosar has rarely taken a bad vote, as his Liberty Score® clearly demonstrates. He has been a strong vote for conservative principles and an outspoken voice against leadership’s attempts to weaken immigration laws. He has fought tirelessly for the Second Amendment and pro-life values. He voted against the trillion dollar CRomnibus, even as many of his fellow “conservatives” caved to leadership. Gosar has been a solid, principled voice.
Because of the values he claims to hold, and Gosar’s record of backing up that rhetoric with action, he has gained a primary challenge. Politico recently took note of the establishment’s antics in trying to unseat conservatives.
Conservatives in the House, used to playing offense, say they are under siege.
“Absolutely, we’re being targeted, absolutely,” said Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, a House Freedom Caucus member who’s seen a group called Right Way PAC drop $211,000 on negative radio ads and mailers (and promise more to come) ahead of his late-August primary. “Over and over again [this year], you see the same thing with them. Look, the Freedom Caucus hasn’t challenged anyone who’s a sitting member. We’ve only played in open seats, but isn’t that interesting that K Street and Wall Street are playing against members?
“This isn’t a game for this year, but a game for next year. This isn’t just a short game, this is a long game,” said Gosar, who’s still expected to win his primary. “There’s no stopping them.”
As he has done all cycle, Ted Cruz has the back of the House Freedom Caucus members who are being singled out, one by one, for elimination.
It is all the more important that Cruz endorses now, as early voting has already started in this race. The date of the primary is August 30, 2016.
Source: Cruz endorses AZ conservative Paul Gosar in effort to fend off establishment attacks
