Ted Cruz Calls Nashville Rally ‘One Part Prayer Revival’ As He Tries To Push Past Trump

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called his stop in Nashville on Tuesday “one part political rally, one part prayer revival.”

The swing through the South was meant to build momentum for his campaign as he nips at the heels of businessman Donald Trump and seeks to distance himself from Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Cruz returned to Tennessee for the first time since August. Perhaps as many as 1,000 people turned out to hear him speak in the early afternoon at the Rocketown skate park and youth center in the SoBro neighborhood.

Much of Cruz’s speech was the same as when he last visited. He called for repealing Obamacare, abolishing the IRS and securing the borders.

What was new was how directly he called on supporters to mobilize.

“We need to take power out of Washington and back to, ‘We the People.’ That is what this campaign is all about,” Cruz told the crowd.

Cruz also went deeper into his Christian faith. Rafael Cruz, his father and a minister, delivered the introduction.

Cruz shared the story of how his father was converted by a Tennessee minister, Gaylon Wiley. Cruz then handed the microphone over to Wiley himself, who led the audience in a blessing for his campaign.

Cruz hopes to organize an army of volunteers in Tennessee and other states that vote in the so-called “SEC primary” on March 1. That day 14 states will select delegates — most of them in the South — and Cruz hopes to ride them to the Republican nomination.

Cruz Is Banking On Voters

Nathan Campbell, a 30-year-old chemical engineer, drove from Birmingham, Ala., to meet up at the rally with friends and family from Nashville and southern Illinois.

“This is the first for me. I think they saw Hillary Clinton,” he said, prompting a laugh.

“No, I’m just teasing. I think they’ve gone to a Trump rally out of curiosity. But they are Cruz supporters.”

Campbell says he’s also in Cruz’s corner. But he thinks Trump, who continues to lead in the polls, has played an important role.

“I believe he’s challenged the establishment more than anyone else could have,” said Campbell. “And I believe Cruz is only where he is because of Trump.”

Cruz said the Republican race is beginning to turn into a two-way contest between him and Trump. He’ll need his supporters to be energized if he’s going to overtake him.