“Ted Cruz? What? We want to hear more about Trump!” – Sorry. Like I said, I’m done.

Other than Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz is the best fund raiser in the 2016 Republican field. His experience with the Senate Conservatives Fund has helped him reach out to activists and individuals in all fifty states, raising millions of dollars in small donations from family’s just like yours. Ted Cruz has consistently fought for conservative values and legislative priorities, against the wishes of the Republican Party and Senate Leadership. Carefully crafting his message in the language and tone of the American People, Ted Cruz has consistently fought on behalf of millions of conservative Republicans who may have given the Republican Party a majority in the House and Senate, but who feel as though the party still refuses to fight for them.

Where is Ted Cruz this week? Mississippi.

In June of 2014 I wrote an article entitled The Muck in Mississippi, wherein I opined…

Yesterday, June 24th, the Republican Establishment revealed just how far they were willing to go to accomplish Mitch McConnell’s dream of “crushing the TEA Party”. If you’ve been checking Drudge and Breitbart, you already know the story. The subject matter of this article isn’t what happened, but rather what we are going to do about it. Conservatives, Constitutionalists, and Libertarians have now been assured that we have no place in the Republican Party and that the establishment will go to any length imaginable to prevent our influence from affecting the political realities in Washington D.C.. This morning, I’ve read and heard a great deal of talk about forming a third party, but forming a third party is a form of surrender that I am unwilling to support. We should not form a third party. We should set all of our focus and energy on destroying the Republican Establishment.

Ted Cruz has done exactly that. He has fought the Republican Establishment at every opportunity and this week he is on the campaign trail with the wildly popular conservative Chris McDaniel, who was defeated, not just by Thad Cochran, but by the breadth of the entire Washington Establishment. Conservatives in Mississippi remember that betrayal. They will never forget and they will never forgive what took place in their primary. And there is Ted Cruz, in Mississippi, to remind conservatives that he stood with McDaniel when the rest of the Republican Party was trying to destroy his campaign. Brilliant. Expect big things for Ted Cruz in Mississippi.

Ted Cruz has fought the Republicans on ObamaCare, Planned Parenthood, Iran, and Cromnibus. His only misstep was his initial support of granting fast track authority to the President on TPP.

Unlike most of the other Republican Candidates who have taken to going after the-one-who-shall-not-be-named at every opportunity in the press, Cruz calmly states that he understands why some conservatives are excited about the rhetoric and fight of some of his competitors and takes the high road. Brilliant.

Fox News tried to ignore him as best they could during their TV debate show, but he never got angry, he didn’t act desperate and jump into fights he had no business jumping into. He maximized his opportunities and saw a 6 point bump in the polls, better than any other candidate. Brilliant.

In Iowa, Cruz is in 5th place. Now, you wouldn’t want to be any lower than that at this point, but let’s look at who’s ahead of him. A world famous reality tv star, the son of one president and the brother of another, a nearby and well known governor, and a world renown neurosurgeon. The only thing these other gentlemen have is widespread name ID. 5th place is fine. Iowans like to make you kiss their rings for a while before they talk about giving you support, and Ted has plenty of time.

In New Hampshire, in a recent poll, Cruz has jumped from 5% to 10% after the first debate. His favorability ratings amongst republicans have jumped from 22% to 29% between March and August. At present, only Bush, He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, and Kasich (that little weasel) are ahead of Cruz, and it is still early.

Furthermore, understanding the politics of a crowded field, the Cruz Campaign is leaving no stone unturned. Kaum News

Could Guam play a pivotal role in picking the eventual Republican nominee for president? That’s what a staffer for Senator Ted Cruz believes. And he traveled all the way from Washington, DC to let local party members know that the GOP candidate wants their votes come convention time. Dennis Lennox says under Republican Party rules, a candidate must win a majority of delegates from at least eight states to be eligible for nomination. With as many as 17 candidates potentially dividing up those votes, the eight-state threshold may be harder to come by. However, GOP rules recognize Guam and the other territories just the same as states. “The Republican Party believes that territories should have an equal say in the nomination of the Republican nominee,” Lennox stated, “And I’m here on behalf of Senator Cruz to ensure that Guam does have a voice in that process. We believe that Guam will be every bit as important as Iowa or New Hampshire.”

Brilliant!

The Cruz Campaign is for real folks. While some candidates may be rolling around in the Benjamin’s of Wall Street, and while others are basking in the light of their celebrity, the Cruz Campaign is running a methodical, disciplined, thoughtful campaign. Keep an eye on him and remember that a Presidential Nomination is a last-man-standing kind of battle. There can be only one.