Trio of Republican candidates woo conservative voters in Waterloo

WATERLOO - Republican presidential candidates have 99 more days to make their case to caucusgoers, and even less time to organize that support. So, it's crunch time. As a reliable and organized bloc, evangelical Christian voters are a target for several of the 14 Republicans vying for one of the so-called three tickets out of Iowa to continue the race for the presidency.

That Iowa prize - evangelical voters make up about 60 percent of Republican caucusgoers - is what brought three GOP presidential hopefuls to Waterloo on Saturday.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee spent about five minutes introducing themselves before being peppered with questions from conservative voters at the Iowa Grassroots Coalition Candidate Honest Assessment Summit.

Each spent about 45 minutes on stage with moderator and conservative author Trevor Loudon.

Loudon made clear the task at hand for the three candidates within the opening minutes of the daylong summit with conservative activists sponsored by the Iowa Grassroots Coalition and Cedar Valley Patriots for Christ. 'You have to inspire the base,” Loudon said.

Each of the three candidates aimed to prove their conservative bona fides - all talked about their pro-life credentials; mentioned with concern Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who was arrested for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples; and stressed the need for stronger actions on the international stage.

Cruz says he has broad appeal

In addition to stressing his conservative principles, Cruz also argued that he has the appeal beyond social conservatives to unite a fractured Republican Party and sway some disaffected Democrats.

'What we're seeing is conservatives uniting behind our campaign. It's the single most encouraging development, and in particular, what we're also seeing is the (President Ronald) Reagan coalition coming back together,” Cruz said.

He said evangelicals are critical to building the kind of coalition that led to Reagan's lopsided victory in 1980. But he added that it also includes young people, Reagan Democrats, minorities, tea party activists and libertarians.

Cruz also pointed to an advantage conservatives have this cycle that hasn't happened in years.

'Historically, there has been a consensus moderate candidate early on in prior Republican presidential primaries and they get all the money, and conservatives historically have been divided like crazy. They fight like cats and dogs, and nobody has any money,” Cruz said after his time on stage in answering questions from the media. 'This election, that's flipped.”

Cruz said he's hoping to see the base turn out in numbers that haven't been seen since a Republican last sat in the White House during George W. Bush's second bid for office in 2004.

Jindal, Huckabee Stress pro-Life Action

While Cruz painted himself as a uniter of GOP factions, Jindal and Huckabee stressed their gubernatorial successes and the ways that they are distinct from the myriad other candidates.

Jindal noted that every time he's run for election he seeks '100 percent of the voters,” but he stressed that he is a conservative through and through and willing to wage those battles.

'I'm the one candidate that's actually gotten things done. Everybody else talks about things. We're the only one that's cut government spending. We were the first to defund, take on Planned Parenthood, most pro-life state six years running, the first with a plan to get rid of Obamacare,” Jindal said. 'So a lot of these Republicans talk, we're a doer.”

Huckabee jokingly noted the difference between himself and the 'other 327” candidates running for the office. He said he would be the candidate to be honest about ending abortion in the United States.

He said rolling back the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade would not halt abortions, but would leave the decision up to states, meaning some would continue to perform the procedure. Huckabee said he'd seek alternative means to end abortions nationwide.

'I'm the only candidate who has openly and repeatedly said on national television that rather than continuing to make these statements of false hope that we'll change the Constitution and that we'll reverse Roe v. Wade,” Huckabee said. 'Folks, here's the question, is the unborn child a person?”

Huckabee also distinguished himself by not just opposing abortion and seeking to end it, but also for expressing compassion for both the aborted fetus and the mother, who he said also suffers.

More christians urged to Vote

While wooing those evangelical or conservative voters who turn out, the candidates and other speakers throughout the day also noted with frustration how many Christians stay home on Election Day.

Jindal said part of the reason that they and other Republicans stay home is that they are skeptical the Republicans they elect will follow through on their promises.

'They heard the Republicans last time say give them the majority, they'd stop Obamacare and amnesty, it didn't happen, so I think they're looking for somebody who will actually do what they said they were going to do, and that's why I think our record is so important,” Jindal said.

Taking a dig at not just Democratic President Barack Obama but also Cruz and other Republicans vying for the presidency, Jindal added, 'We've got a first-term senator in the White House. We need somebody with a proven track record.”

Huckabee, however, painted a darker picture of the impact of Christian conservatives staying home on Election Day.

'They need to understand how this affects them,” Huckabee said, pointing to Davis and others who have faced fines for, as he says, following their faith.

'When they see that, it starts getting through to them that they're going to have one of two choices. They're either going to get involved and protect their religious liberty and their constitutional rights, or they're going to lose them, and if they don't see that clearly, they'll stay home, and they're going to lose their constitutional rights and their country.”