North Texas Daily

Ted Cruz was in Denton this past Thursday at a Denton County Republican Party meeting to rally voters just days before early voting in Texas began Monday. The room was filled nearly to capacity at the Denton County Elections Commission, and buzzed with local Republicans and elected officials praising Donald Trump.

Denton County Republican Party Chairwoman Lisa Hendrickson opened the meeting with a prayer before introducing Republicans who are on the ballot. Hendrickson, a former school teacher, said she wants young voters to defy how they are commonly perceived.

“I want college students to vote and think about what it’d be like when you are married and have children,” Hendrickson said. “There is a mentality that says millennials are ignorant. I don’t think that’s true. I know what makes them excited, get involved and passionate. Think 10 to 20 years out, and think about the country you want your family to live in.”

Debt and the economy were among the topics discussed during the meeting, and Cruz commented the election is “strange,” and wants younger generations to get involved and fight for their constitution and bill of rights.

“Young people are inheriting an economy that is trapped in stagnation. Jobs are hard to find; wages are stagnant,” Cruz said. “Young people are inheriting $19 trillion in debt, freedoms are being taken away. Our campaign is so fortunate to get help from young people engaged all across the country, [and] the only way to turn the country around for all of us is to stand up and fight for a future as bright as the past.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to the crowd Thursday evening at the Denton County Republican Party meeting. He  spoke at the event to motivate voters in the midst of the election season. Hannah Breland

U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess was also at the meeting. He said he wants to keep Denton County “all red,” and warned of the nation’s debt passed to newer generations of voters.

“I’m a baby boomer, I may not live long enough to pay the debt back so your generation will have to pay it back,” Burgess said. “Your generation will live with that debt and its consequences. Seventy percent of this country thinks we are going in the wrong direction, largely because of the debt.”

Burgess spoke on Vermont Sen. Bernie Sander’s support from college students, and said Trump can offer more than Sander’s push to legalize marijuana and make college free.

“Do I know for a fact he will fix those things? I don’t, he is a roll of the dice, I will admit,” Burgess said of Trump. “I have never seen a candidate like him, and you may never see a candidate like him again. If you keep going down the road you’re going on, it will be certain disaster. Trump offers people in college, not like Bernie Sanders, the opportunity to re-establish the American dream we grew up with, so since many no longer feel as connected as we did, and he may give us the chance to get it back.”

Before Cruz left, he was given a Shield of Faith award by Hendrickson.

“There’s red, there’s bright red, and there’s Denton County,” Cruz said. “Thank you, God bless you, and let’s fight for our country.”

Featured Image: Senator Ted Cruz speaks to the crowd Thursday evening at the Denton County Republican Party rally. Denton Republican activists came from city and county to hear from local politicians on the importance of voting. Hannah Breland