Cruz: ‘Run and hide’ from establishment candidates

by Bradford Richardson - 10/03/15 12:11 PM ET

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) touted his outsider status Saturday, saying voters should “run and hide” from anyone embraced by the Washington elite.

“By the way, if you see a candidate who Washington embraces, run and hide,” Cruz said at the Cornerstone Action Stand and Fight Forum in New Hampshire, adding that “Washington despised Ronald Reagan.”

{mosads}The GOP firebrand said government is dysfunctional not because of partisanship, but because of “career politicians” who don’t understand the rest of the nation.

“Washington is broken right now, and it’s broken because — I’ve said many times — the biggest divide we’ve got, politically, is not between Democrats and Republicans,” Cruz said. “The biggest divide we have politically is between career politicians in Washington in both parties and the American people.”

The recent congressional vote on a government spending bill that allocates funds to Planned Parenthood is emblematic of an unresponsive political process, he added.

Cruz also reiterated his plans to defund Planned Parenthood, abolish the Department of Education and shut down the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in his speech.

Cruz currently places sixth in New Hampshire, drawing 6 percent support according to a RealClearPolitics polling average.

A group of candidates who have never held elected office currently top polls in the Granite State.

Businessman Donald Trump leads the field with 25.3 percent support, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 14.3 support, and businesswoman Carly Fiorina with 11.3 percent support.

A pair of establishment candidates round out the top five, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich drawing 9 percent and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 7.7 percent.

Tags Ted Cruz