As Texans cast their Super Tuesday ballots, presidential candidate Ted Cruz is banking on the grassroots network of Republican women and tea party activists that helped elect him to the U.S. Senate.
When Ted Cruz upset Lt.Gov. DavidDewhurstin 2012 in the GOP Senate primary, he credited the legion of volunteers
鈥淚t is a testament to Republican women, to tea party leaders and to grassroots conservatives,鈥� he said.
Four years later Cruz is counting on some 27,000 volunteers statewide to help deliver a presidential primary victory in Texas where he needs to win decisively to propel his campaign forward.
鈥淚 would say 95 percent that were beneficial for Cruz in that hard fought race came back together (for his presidential campaign),鈥� saidJoAnnFleming, executive director of Grassroots American which is based in Tyler. It鈥檚 a tea party organization that claims to reach hundreds of thousands of voters through email and social media.
As Cruz鈥檚 Texas tea party chair, Fleming has helped resurrect the network of activists that worked on his senate race.
鈥淭hey are the people on the ground they are the people going neighborhood to neighborhood knocking on doors asking neighbors to vote for Sen. Cruz.鈥�
Fleming believes the most effective get-out-the-vote technique is a personal conversation. But running a close second for Super Tuesday in Texas is a cell phone app that鈥檚 nearly made the campaign鈥檚 big phone banks obsolete.
DeeMomonewith the Texas Republican Women鈥檚 group is Cruz鈥檚 phone bank coordinator inBexarCounty, The phone bank as we knew it, however, is gone.
Instead of a room with rows of volunteers phoning voters, Dee sits alone at her dining room table, dials into a secure network, then calls the numbers that pop up on her cell screen. She adlibsfrom a scripted message
She says the iPhone 360 app makes it easier to recruit volunteers and reach voters.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard to run a phone bank. People have to get in their car and they have to drive to wherever you are. This is an easier way. You reach more people and you can call at your convenience,鈥� she said.
The volunteer effort may be crucial to Cruz as he counts on a big Texas win to lift his campaign.
On the last day of early votingCharisaand Alden Bailey were among those casting their ballots for Cruz atShavanoPark City Hall.
鈥淚 think right now we鈥檙e looking for someone with character, who鈥檚 trustworthy,鈥滳harisaBailey said.
鈥淚 think he can show he鈥檚 done what he said he was going to do. And he鈥檚 certainly fiscally responsible,鈥� her husband added.
Trump supporters including WayneMettingwere also weighing in.
鈥淭he only one who is not a professional politician is Donald Trump. He鈥檒l lead the country in the right direction and forget about the politics and anybody pushing anybody around,鈥� saidMetting.
Pam Baptiste voted for Marco Rubio.
鈥淪mall business and healthcare were big issues for me. Because I work for a small business owner, I know how tough things were during these Obama years and especially withObamacare,鈥� she said.
Cruz鈥檚 tea party chair, Fleming, believes her candidate is strong on the issues most important to Texas Republicans
鈥淏order security, national security, that is always the number one surveyed issue with us. And second to that would be religious liberty and second amendment issues,鈥� said Fleming.
She says volunteers encourage voters to make the connection between key issues and their candidate, neighbor to neighbor and by phone.
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