Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) assured conservative Christian voters he speaks their language in a sanctimonious interview with a religious broadcaster.

The newly announced GOP presidential candidate told David Brody, of the Christian Broadcasting Network, that religious conservatives must take back their political dominance, reported Right Wing Watch.

“This country remains a country, I believe, grounded in values, grounded in faith, but far too many Christians have ceded the public arena to people who aren’t believers,” Cruz said.

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He suggested that Christians were a marginalized group by invoking the name of the biblical heroine Esther, whose story has served as a model of empowerment for Jews, women, and black Americans.

“We’re to be watchmen on the wall, and I believe that there are pastors, there are leaders in the faith community all across this country who were placed in the positions of leadership that they are in today just like Esther, for such a time as this,” Cruz said. “That is my hope, that we will energize and mobilize courageous conservatives all over this country to pull this country back.”

Brody, in a hushed tone, asked Cruz if he believed he had been called by God to be such a leader.

“I hope and pray that I was, and I can tell you I feel privileged at an incredible level to have the opportunity to be in the area,” Cruz said.

Watch portions of the interview posted online by RWW Blog: