- Sen. Ted Cruz
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Press Release on Catholic Leader Endorsements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Alice Stewart |
News Release | Catherine Frazier |
March 18, 2016 |
Catholic Leaders Endorse Ted Cruz for
President
Cruz Welcomes Endorsements from Catholic Influencers
HOUSTON, Texas
– Presidential candidate Ted Cruz today announced endorsements from
more than 50 Catholic leaders, including activists, public servants,
pro-life advocates, clergy, and business leaders. Dr. Robert P. George
and Ken Cuccinelli are co-chairs of the initiative, leading Cruz’s
outreach in the Catholic community.
“For centuries, the Catholic Church has been an unwavering voice for
life, marriage, and religious liberty,” said Cruz. “These three issues
have been central to my campaign since the very beginning, and I have
been proud to stand with Catholics in the fight to protect the dignity
of every life, the sacrament of marriage, and the First Amendment right
to religious liberty. In an age when the Obama administration has the
audacity to sue the Little Sisters of the Poor, it has never been more
critical to stand with those who have dedicated their lives to the
service of the Church and its mission of loving the whole world.
Especially in this Year of Mercy, we have an opportunity to protect the
most vulnerable and safeguard the truth revealed through Scripture and
the tradition of millennia.”
Dr. Robert George praised Cruz for his loyalty to the rule of law and
the principles of a free society. “No one has been stronger than Ted in
standing up for religious liberty and other fundamental constitutional
freedoms. …He will foster a culture, from the top down, that honors the
Constitution – the one thing that, despite our differences, binds us
all together as Americans,” said Professor George.
“In addition to his exceptional Constitutional credentials, Ted Cruz is
a candidate with specific foreign policy proposals to defend persecuted
Christians abroad,” said Ken Cuccinelli. “At a time when people of
faith are under severe attack internationally, we need a president
whose foreign policy priorities will leverage America’s leadership to
defend the defenseless.”
“I am very pleased to give my personal endorsement to Ted Cruz for
President of the United States,” Monsignor Ed Lofton, Parish Priest at
St. Theresa Catholic Church in South Carolina, said. “I have followed
Ted’s time in office and know that he governs grounded in the essential
value of protecting life and liberty for all peoples. I am
confident
that Ted has the intelligence and the will to lead our nation in a
positive direction. The Church must not be silent as the nation chooses
the leaders who will shape its future. I am personally working for the
election of Ted Cruz, and I urge fellow Catholics to join me in giving
Ted Cruz our support and our votes.”
“Ted Cruz has been a tireless fighter for the most
vulnerable among us – starting with the unborn,” said Jason Jones, a
pro-life activist and filmmaker. “Ted Cruz has defended the sanctity of
life at the Supreme Court, has worked to defund Planned Parenthood in
Congress, and I am confident that as president he will create a culture
of life.”
“While many candidates have sadly conceded on the issue of marriage,
Ted Cruz has courageously denounced the Supreme Court’s decision,” said
Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage. “He
has upheld marriage as a sacrament, recognizing that it is foundational
to all civilizations. As Catholic institutions are facing increasing
threats of fines and punishment for living by the teachings of the
Church, we need a leader who has proven he won’t back down – that he
will always stand for our God-given liberties so that individuals, the
Church, and communities are free to practice the faith, hope, and
charity that uplifts all members of our society.”
The following Catholic leaders have endorsed and are among those
building support for Cruz within the Catholic community. More than
45,000 Americans, from a broad spectrum of religious traditions, have
joined the campaign’s Faith and Religious Liberty Coalition. Titles and
any affiliations of all endorsers are provided for identification
purposes only.
Co-Chair Dr. Robert P. George
McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
Co-Chair Ken Cuccinelli
Former Virginia Attorney General
Greg and Cecilia Abbott
Governor and First Lady of Texas
Ryan T Anderson, Ph.D.
Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
Bradley Birzer, Ph.D.
Co-founder, The Imaginative Conservative
Russell Amos Kirk Chair in History, Hillsdale College
Marcella Burke
Conservative Activist
Brent Bozell
Founder and President, Media Research Center
Brian Brown
President, National Organization for Marriage
Stephen and Cristina Cox
Conservative Activists
Al DelTufo
NJ Catholics for Cruz Outreach Director
John Eastman
Chairman of the Board, National Organization for Marriage
The Claremont Institute, Senior Fellow and Founding Director, Center
for Constitutional Jurisprudence
Barbara Elliott
President, Center for Cultural Renewal, Professor, Houston Baptist
College
W. Winston Elliott III
President, Free Enterprise Institute, Co-Founder, The Imaginative
Conservative
Jack Fowler
Publisher, National Review
Matthew Franck
Director, Simon Center on Religion and the Constitution, Witherspoon
Institute
Joe Fulwiler
President, Fulwiler Law Firm, P.C.
Martin Gillespie
Director of Catholic Outreach, Republican National Committee (2003-2006)
U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar
Jacqeline Halbig vonSchleppenbach
Sovereign Global Solutions, religious liberty litigant
Shak Hill
Past Grand Knight, Knights of Columbus, former candidate for U.S.
Senate
U.S. Congressman Tim Huelskamp
John Jakubczyk
Past President, Arizona Right to Life
Jason Jones
Movie to Movement, activist/filmmaker
Jennifer Kimball Watson
Executive Director, Culture of Life Foundation
U.S. Congressman Steve King
Robert Koons
Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas Austin
Adam Laxalt
Nevada Attorney General
Esther Lebanshak
Parish Council President, St. Mary's Parish
Ocean County Chair, Cruz for President
Ed Lofton
Parish Priest, St. Theresa Catholic Church, Propagation of the Faith
for the Diocese of Charleston, State Chaplain of Knights of Columbus
4th degree South Carolina
Steve Lonegan
New Jersey State Chairman, Cruz for President, member of the Knights of
Columbus
Josh Lynch
Former National Director, Catholics for McCain
Ted Meehan
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Catholics Network
Maureen Mooney
The Founder's Academy, former State Representative
Melissa Moschella
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Barbara Nicolsi
Screenwriter
William O'Connell
Bonadventure Partners
Dr. Ronald Pestritto
Graduate Dean, Hillsdale College
Steve and Debbie Pfeifer
President and CFO, P.O. & G. Operating, LLC
Dan Proft
Writer at The Spectator, Morning Drive Radio Talk Show Host, AM 560 The
Answer
John Radell
Christian Citizens United
Jonathan Saenz
President, Texas Values
Terry Schilling
Executive Director, American Principles Project
Bobby Schindler
President, Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network
Anne Schlafly Cori
State President, Missouri Eagle Forum
Matt Smith
President, Catholic Advocate
George Strake
Former Texas Secretary of State
Virginia "Ginni" Thomas
Conservative Activist
Trey Trainor
Partner, Beirne, Maynard and Parsons, L.L.P.,
Parish Council, St. Mary Cathedral, Diocese of Austin
Michael Uhlmann
Professor of Government, Claremont Graduate University
Richard Viguerie
Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com
Kevin Vost, Ph.D.
Author and Speaker
Christopher and Mary Anne Yep
President & CEO, Vice President, TRIUNE Health Group
John Zmirak
Author, Bad Catholic's Guide to the Catechism
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