On Tuesday afternoon, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz greeted supporters at a Raleigh Baptist church and taped a town-hall style interview with Megyn Kelly of Fox News.
He’s the latest presidential candidate to visit North Carolina ahead of the March 15 primary.
“North Carolina is tremendously important,” Cruz said at a news conference. “North Carolina is going to have a decisive impact on this primary.”
Cruz said more Republicans are unifying behind his campaign because he’s the only candidate who “can and will beat Trump.”
“If Donald Trump is our nominee, we lose. Hillary becomes president,” Cruz said. “That means…we lose the Supreme Court for a generation, we lose the Bill of Rights for a generation."
If elected president, Cruz said he would repeal ObamaCare, abolish the IRS, secure the borders, investigate Planned Parenthood and get rid of the Common Core standards for public school students.
Supporters cheered loudly and enthusiastically as he listed those policy goals.
“The stakes are too high. The problems are too big for us to not fix them,” Cruz said.
Cruz initially planned to also hold a rally, but left shortly after the Fox News interview. He signed autographs and took selfies with supporters before heading off to Kannapolis for a second event.
“I got a picture with him!” said 24-year-old Blair Owens, giddy with excitement.
Owens, like many other supporters, said she’s a fan of Cruz because of his Christian faith.
“I like his stance on faith,” she explained. “I think he’s open about it and is honest and I think he lives it, and that’s important to me.”
Voter Laura Zulueta said she was voting for Trump because he’s a constitutionalist.
“I’m a great believer in individual liberties and the constitution supports that,” she said. “He is a person of great character and he understands the constitution and is willing to fight for it.”
Donald Trump is slated to visit Fayetteville tomorrow evening, while Hillary Clinton will make an appearance in North Carolina on Thursday.