- Sen. Ted Cruz
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Press Release from Cruz for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Rick
Tyler |
News Release | Catherine
Frazier |
January 14, 2016 |
Cruz for President Announces Endorsement of Morton Blackwell
Conservative Founding Father: “I Expect Him to Win”
HOUSTON, Texas
- Presidential candidate Ted Cruz today announced the endorsement of
Morton Blackwell, the president and founder of the Leadership
Institute
and a founding father of the modern conservative movement.
Since being founded by Blackwell in 1979, the Leadership
Institute has
provided training in grassroots organizing, campaigning, fundraising,
and communication to more than 171,000 conservative activists. Through
47 training workshops, they prepare conservatives for success in
politics, media, and government. The Leadership Institute also has a
national field-training program, organizes a network of 1,700
conservative campus groups, and offers a job placement service for
conservatives.
“In every department of my campaign, our team includes young
conservatives trained at the Leadership Institute,” Cruz said.
“Morton Blackwell often reminds conservatives that ‘you owe
it to your
philosophy to learn how to win.’ He has contributed to that victory by
training two generations of conservatives in effective campaigning and
leadership. Blackwell has spent decades equipping
conservative thinkers
with the practical strategies they need to be effective. I’m honored to
have Morton’s wit and wisdom in support of this campaign.“
“In the past several weeks, the presidential contest has
clarified.” Blackwell said. “I have decided to endorse
Ted Cruz and to
urge other serious conservatives to join me. He has consistently
demonstrated his deep commitment to conservative principles. He
works
hard for those principles. He is very smart. He’s a
world-class
speaker. He has shown that he can raise the large amounts of money
necessary to win the nomination and the November election. Ted Cruz has
famously organized what is probably the best national ground-game
campaign.“
Blackwell continued, “You and I can be confident that Ted Cruz
will
make superb judicial nominations. The Democrats will almost certainly
nominate a badly flawed candidate who is dishonest and
distrusted.
Let’s take this opportunity to nominate and elect a Republican
president who has the courage and skill to advance our conservative
principles. Like me, you have probably sensed that support for Ted is
growing rapidly across the country. I hope and now expect him to
win
the nomination.“
Blackwell is a member of the Virginia Republican State Central
Committee and serves as Virginia’s Republican National Committeeman. He
has served on the Executive Committee of the
RNC. Blackwell was a
delegate for both Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, and led a national
youth effort for Ronald Reagan in 1980, later serving as a special
assistant to President Reagan. He is an expert on Republican Party
rules and serves currently on the RNC’s Standing Committee on
Rules.
Morton Blackwell is also known for authoring The Laws of the Public Policy
Process, a
series of maxims intended to help conservatives succeed at campaigning
and governance. The list includes concepts like “never give a
bureaucrat a chance to say no,” “don’t get mad except on purpose,” and
“people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
In a letter circulated by Ken
Cuccinelli, former Attorney General of Virginia, who endorsed Cruz in December, Blackwell endorsed
Cruz
and praised his conservative leadership.
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