A Sincere Thank You

I was shocked when Ted Cruz suspended his campaign, our campaign, tonight. I have been reflective over the last few hours. 

While I am incredibly worried for our country, I must also thank Ted Cruz for actually running on issues and principles. It is clear that a large plurality of the electorate in the GOP and the whole electorate on the Democrat side don't care about those things any longer. That is too bad. Our nation will be judged by a just God.

Because of Ted's principled campaign, he attracted a large number of amazing people. The ones I've grown to be friends with here in Iowa and across the nation have impacted my life and for that, I will never be able to repay Ted Cruz. 

I now have a huge network of people that I know share my faith in Jesus, my ideals about Constitutional government and will be there should I need an ear to bend. 

I was so glad I was with my friends this evening when the news came in. We shared a meal and watched the results. There was a quietness about the first part of the evening at the Dutch Country Inn in Kalona as we watched and ate. I sat with Marlin Bontrager as Ted announced the suspension of his campaign. I was at peace because I knew that Jesus was and still is on the throne. I can say that easily to anyone I meet now because Marlin asked me to come to his church back on October 8th, 2015. Marion Avenue Baptist Church is my home away from home. As we adjourned to the Bontrager house for another of the desserts made from scratch that I've come to know and love(I think Chelsy made this one. Her rhubarb muffins and Allison's no bake cookies are my favorite foods in the world...I'm not kidding), we rehashed what had just happened. We laughed and we also discussed how Christian conservatives can move forward. I felt a sense of peace as I left around 10PM. Perhaps the most painful part of the evening was seeing the look on Taylor's face as he found out the news. Liz and Hudson were so looking forward to going to Nebraska with us to campaign this weekend too. I also got a text from Becky as she was in New York seeing her father. She sent an impassioned text to me and her family asking for clarity on why Ted had suspended his campaign. It took me quite awhile to come up with a response that I thought was satisfactory. I know she is a prayer warrior, like her daughters, and she will be in prayer for our nation. We all should be.

I want to thank Marlin, Becky, Chelsy, Mitchell, Allison, Carson, Joshua, Denver, Taylor, Elizabeth, Hudson and Rebecca for being the best kind of friends a person could ever have. I also need to acknowledge so many others. Pastor Joseph Brown and his family, Lyndsey Blagrave, Bethany, Ben, Tyler and Mary Dorin, Kaylee Morris, Philip Palmer, Wilson Leppert, Jeff King, Cecil Steinmetz, Daniel Bradshaw, Linda Stickle, Alex Seavey, Michael Keefer and Bryan English are just a few of the people that I now know as friends. I know I am missing so many more. 

The Iowa Cruz Team is the all star team of the campaign, if you ask me. There were reasons we were the ones in demand all across the country. We knew what we were doing and we also know Ted Cruz better than nearly anyone outside of his campaign team in Texas. 

I urge all lovers of liberty to stay close and keep in touch. We must all stay networked in order to respond to the pull of progressive populism and progressive socialism. Both seek to destroy Constitutional government and limit the individual. I will never bend to those ways of thinking.

I, for one, am done with the Republican Party. Not just sort of done. I mean done done. I will advocate for Christian conservative candidates. I will actively campaign against Donald Trump. The Iowa Republican Party offices all over the state will see me outside picketing against Donald Trump this fall. I will also advocate for an Article 5 Convention of States to reign in the federal government. It must be done.

For the locals in the area, I will be resigning from the Central Committee and I will be removing my name from the roles of the Republican party after I vote in the local election for Iowa State House. Royce Phillips is a good Christian man and I will vote for him.

Lastly, I ask all of you reading this to drop to your knees and pray to Almighty God. Our land will face very hard times in the next 4 years and we will need His mercy more than ever. We don't deserve a speck of what God gives us but because He loved us enough to send His Son to die for us and wipe our sins away, we can take solace in the fact that once we call upon His name He will save us.

Here are some of my photo memories from the campaign.

Daniel Bradshaw, Alex Seavey and me

Bryan English talking to a volunteer in South Carolina

At the South Carolina office in February

Dinner with Pastor Rafael

Jessica Ali, Chelsy, Taylor and Josh Bontrager and me after a day spent in Fairfield, IA

Iowa has a great Congressman in Steve King

The Urbandale, IA Cruz headquarters

The Bontrager Family Singers performing at a rally in Winterset, IA in January 2016

Josh, Allison and Mitchell telling people about Ted Cruz

One of the many debate parties at the Dutch Country Inn in Kalona

Talking to the press. I guess they had a knack for finding me.

Louie Gohmert is a national treasure.

Daniel Bradshaw's pie for the Marion Avenue Baptist Church Pie Auction benefiting the Live Animal Christmas Play 

Daniel Bradshaw, Cris Bontrager and me doing what we do.

Lyndsey and Alex

With Pastor Rafael Cruz

Lyndsey Blagrave(Smile Bryan)

Alex Seavey

Blue Hybner

Presenting Ted Cruz with a pen my step dad, Bill Belitz made by hand. 

At the Iowa Religious Liberty Rally in August.

I didn't know any of these people yet. This is where it all started.