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A sea of mostly red-clad President Trump supporters flooded closed-off streets around the Toyota Center Monday morning, hours ahead of the president's rally here with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

Many attendees drove from hours away, foregoing sleep to line up overnight as they sought to ensure a spot at the rally. The arena seats about 18,000 people, far less than the reported demand for the event.

Those attending the rally appeared to mostly set aside Trump's feud with Cruz during the presidential primary, considering the matter settled.

"Politics can be a little cutthroat," said John, a 38-year-old Woodlands resident who did not want to give his last name. "I think there were two people that had a lot of passion."

He pointed out that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama criticized each other during the 2008 Democratic primary before reconciling their differences.

Jason Solis, who lives in Mission and chairs the Rio Grande Valley chapter of "Latinos for Trump," arrived in Houston at 2 p.m. Sunday and was in line by 4 p.m. He said the trip took about seven hours.

Linda Van Bebber, a Tomball-based realtor, was looking forward to seeing Trump and Cruz on stage together.

"Everybody says, 'well, how could you support somebody like Trump? He tweets bad things.' And I don't like all of the tweets he makes," said Van Bebber, 64. "But if you look at the bottom line, it's a lot about him being tough on certain issues."

Some attendees worried about the candidacy of Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Cruz's Democratic opponent, with many expressing dismay over his positions on gun safety and the Second Amendment.

"I do think it's going to be a close race," John said. "I just hope people pay attention to Beto's (positions). He seems like he's more popular out of state."

"In his defense he's very passionate," Van Bebber said. "He comes from an area — El Paso — where things are very different. I think he's blind to the border."

Jen Salinas, a San Antonio resident and the Texas director of "Latinos for Trump," explained what motivated her to come to Houston to support Trump.

"When they punch, he punches back. We love that about him," she said. "He stands his ground, he stands up for himself, he stands up for us when we don't have a voice. You know, Trump's our voice."

The line to see President Trump speak Monday night in support of Cruz's re-election bid at Toyota Center began taking shape more than 24 hours before the rally was set to begin.

Lisa Brewer was the first to stake her place at the corner of Crawford and Polk Street across from the 18,000-seat arena around 10 a.m. Sunday. By nightfall, Houston police were preparing to re-arrange more than 175 people who joined Brewer with chairs and tents as their line to enter the rally snaked onto Dallas Street.

"I just got out of bed and ran down here," said Brewer, a freight logistics manager. "I didn't know people would be here right after me."

TRUMP'S MESSAGE TO HOUSTON: A vote for Ted Cruz is a vote for Trump agenda

Brewer and her daughter-in-law, Jami Brewer, will have spent more than 24 hours waiting in line with little to no shut-eye before Trump speaks. For Brewer, she said raising kids and taking care of grandchildren was good practice for staying awake.

"We're not planning on sleeping," Brewer said. "Just the adrenaline alone will fuel us all."

To prepare for Trump's first campaign visit to the region since snagging the presidency, police began barricading two blocks of streets surrounding the Toyota Center to vehicle traffic Sunday night. The streets are expected to remain closed until around 10:30 p.m. Monday.

Leeland, Caroline, Capitol and Chartres have been designated as detours, according to police.

Glen Collins and his fiancee, DeeJay Miller, are among the supporters flocking to the Houston area to see the president. The couple left their 5-month-old baby with a relative in Waco to see Trump stump for Cruz. After driving 180 miles, the couple planned to spend Sunday night at a Howard Johnson hotel along the Katy Freeway, but Collins took one look at the growing line on Crawford Street and called the reservation a wash.

"We thought we'd get down here at 6 a.m., but when I drove down here to scout it out, I seen the line and I said 'We can't take our chances. We just gotta sit out here,'" said Collins.

The unused booking made a $111.12 dent in the couple's finances, but it was no big deal to Collins. The 39-year-old tow truck wrecker attributed the extra cash in his paycheck to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that Trump signed last year.

"He's the one who gave me the money, so I'm alright with that. It's totally worth it," Collins said.

IN CONROE: O'Rourke touts willingness to serve all Texans in area visit

Dozens of folding chairs that lined the sidewalk on Crawford Street remained empty as their owners took a break from the queue. Sitting outside all night was not an option for Air Force veteran Cheryl Henson, who recently underwent surgery undo the damage to her back for years of carrying service members on stretchers.

"It just wrecked havoc on my spine," Henson said of her military service.

A room at the Embassy Suites on Dallas Street was waiting for Henson for when she decides to step away. Her husband, Billy Henson, will watch their place in line.

For Henson's husband, Trump was the draw to drive to Houston from Lake Jackson — not Cruz, who is leading the polls against Democratic state Rep. Beto O'Rourke in the contested November election.

For the past month, Vice President Mike Pence, the president's children Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump have attended campaign events for Cruz, Trump's former political rival during the 2016 presidential election.

"If there was a better Republican, I'd vote for them," Henson said. "But Cruz will work.



