Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) rallied evangelical Christians in a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday, warning against threats to religious liberty.
“These threats have been growing, they have been growing for decades, but never have the threats been greater to religious liberty than they are right here and now today,” the Republican presidential candidate told a crowd of over 2,500 attendees, according to CNN.
“These threats are not imagined, they’re not made up. These are real people leading real lives who found themselves facing persecution simply for living out their faith. There is a war on faith in America today.”
{mosads}Cruz placed an extra emphasis on branding at the event, handing out pocket Constitutions, miniature American flag, bracelets reading “Marriage = 1 man + 1 woman” and even Cruz-themed coloring books for children.
The rally featured a series of speakers who said they faced negative consequences from the government for standing up against same-sex marriage.
“They didn’t ask for confrontation, and the government came to them and said, ‘Choose between faith and obedience to government power,’ and they said, ‘I follow a higher power and that is God almighty,’ ” Cruz said.
The candidate was introduced by conservative radio host Steve Deace, who earlier this week endorsed Cruz for president “because of his proven courage of conviction and ability to run a national campaign.”
Cruz faces an uphill battle in the Republican primary — he sits in sixth place in the national race, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average.
But he’s hoping a strong showing in Iowa, the first state to vote in the primary season, can propel him up in the race.
Two fellow evangelicals won the Iowa caucuses in the last two election cycles: former Sen. Rick Santorum in 2012, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008.
Santorum and Huckabee are both in this year’s presidential race, but Cruz is well ahead of them in both national and Iowa-based polling.