In remarks to an Iowa Republican group on Friday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said that his government shutdown and debt default plan would have worked at repealing the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — if Senate Republicans had only backed him up. According to Talking Points Memo, Cruz was the keynote speaker at Iowa Republicans’ annual Ronald Reagan fundraising dinner.

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“We didn’t accomplish our ultimate policy goal in this battle, and we didn’t because unfortunately a significant number of Senate Republicans chose not to unite and stand side by side with House Republicans,” Cruz insisted. “Had we stood together I’m convinced the outcome of this fight would be very, very different.”

The Canadian-born freshman Senator exhorted the crowd to “come together” and beat the ACA’s health insurance mandate and the national debt (which is currently falling faster than at ant time during the last 60 years).

The key to turning the country around from its current state, said Cruz, is to “restore historic economic growth” by deregulating more industries and battling trade unions.

“And let me tell you, growth and principles are ideas that unify Republicans,” Cruz said, as quoted by the Des Moines Register. “They are principles and ideals that unify the evangelical community, the liberty movement and the business community. Growth and freedom are principles that bring together Main Street and the tea party.”

“Right now I’m more encouraged than ever,” he said, in spite of his recent high-profile defeats.

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“There are some of the old guard in the Grand Old Party that frankly don’t approve of the kind of principled leadership being shown by the new conservative leaders like Sens. Cruz, (Rand) Paul (R-KY) and (Mike) Lee (R-UT),” said Iowa Republican co-chair David Fischer..

“Some Republicans have even gone so far as to call them names. Well, I have a name for these new leaders, too,” Fischer said. “I call them the future.”

Watch video of Cruz talking to reporters about his plans for the country, embedded below via the Des Moines Register: