Cruz works crowd at meet-and-greet

The crowd swarms Ted Cruz after his speech at the Henry J Sweeny Post. Photo by Alaina Monismith

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Jack Kimball had time to kill. He was in the lineup to warm up the crowd as they waited on the fashionably late Ted Cruz. Patience was key. He told the packed American Legion hall they would not be disappointed, “because [Cruz] gives a damn.”

And disappointed they were not. Leaning in and watching intently, the crowd clapped, cheered and chuckled along with Cruz’s passionate speech. Cruz asserted his position as a true conservative, saying that the other candidates “run pretending to be us.”

“Nobody on that debate stage stands up and says ‘Hi, I’m an establishment, moderate squish, and I stand for nothing,’” he said.

The Texas senator went on to make sure voters knew that he would stick to their values if he made it to the White House, despite claims that his conservative views made him unelectable.

“The only way to be elected they said is to pretend to be a conservative, but let everyone know ‘I don’t really believe this stuff and I’m going to abandon it the instant I get elected,’” said Cruz. “That Cruz guy, he really believes this stuff,” he continued.

Cruz boiled the race down to turnout. He urged the audience to bring their friends, family and prayers out to the polls, since they had looked him in the eyes and knew who he was as a conservative candidate. The crowd called back “we’re showing up, we are coming.”

Raymond Harrington had no hesitation about who he was going to cast his vote for. A native of New York state, Gravel had traveled to New Hampshire just to see Cruz in person. Harrington said that he identified with the candidate’s beliefs and felt that Cruz was thorough in his responses, unlike other politicians who have a penchant for dodging questions.

“When Cruz answers a question,” said Harrington, “you feel like it’s been answered.”

Cruz wasn’t the only presidential hopeful to stop by the legion. The Henry J. Sweeney Post has seen its share of candidates. While the post is not allowed to endorse a candidate, the space has served to give voters a chance to get up close to the presidential pack, hosting candidates like Jeb Bush and John Kasich. According to Noah Gravel, command of the post, town halls and meet and greets are paramount to a voter’s understanding of a candidate.

“Listening to them and seeing where they stand on a personal basis versus watching the media and what’s going on in commercials,” said Gravel, “it’s a big difference.”

As Cruz fielded questions from the crowd after his speech, a man spoke up and addressed Cruz as Mr. President.

“I like the way you think,” said Cruz.