Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is endorsing GOP presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), because King says Cruz “is the answer to my prayers, a candidate whom God will use to restore the Soul of America.”

Having served Iowans for decades, King said endorsing a presidential candidate is a “rare opportunity, therefore, cannot be squandered.”

“It has become a great, great privilege, as the dean of the Iowa Congressional Delegation, to get to know each of the 17 original Republican candidates for president, both professionally and personally,” King stated in a press release.

I count many, if not all, as friends, as colleagues, and as fellow warriors in the political arena. At no time in the history of the United States has any party fielded such an array of extraordinarily talented candidates, each of whom would be clearly a better choice for president than Hillary Clinton.

“Our nation is sick and getting sicker,” King stated, explaining that the country has been divided by the Obama Administration.

Americans have become “a tangle of squabbling nationalities” as well as coddled victims groups.

We have watched the dismantling of the national self-confidence of the unchallenged, greatest nation in the world, as we receded from vast regions of influence, much of the influence paid for in American blood. We have, not without a Congressional fight, seen our military degraded and watched as our combat troops valiantly risk their lives while the “rules of engagement” tie their hands. We have watched as the Middle East exploded into a cauldron of sectarian violence. And we have watched as a weak and feckless president dithered at the cost of thousands of lives and created millions of displaced people. We have watched as President Obama virtually invited Russia to insert itself by overt military action in defense of our enemies and to defeat our allies. And now the president is determined to import to America hundreds of thousands of displaced persons who will never assimilate into the American Civilization-the fruits of Obama’s fecklessness.

King commented on social issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion in light of the viral undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood officials allegedly selling aborted baby body parts.

We have watched as modern science shows us in 4D technicolor the heartbeats, the arms, the legs, the sex, and even the personalities of innocent little miracles in the womb. And still the heart of President Obama and every Democrat candidate for president’s hearts remain hardened. And the will of the American people has been thwarted. We have watched as a rogue Supreme Court, on a bare 5-4 majority, transformed the institution of marriage from something it has always been, since the Garden, into something it has never been in the history of humanity.

He also stressed the importance for America to address the issue of illegal immigration and securing the border.

We have watched as our already porous border was turned into a two thousand mile long neon sign that flashes an advertisement for free healthcare, education, housing, food, and ObamaPhones. The Obama message has become, “Come, break our laws, live free and live happily ever after.” It wasn’t enough for the current administration to turn the Border Patrol into the Welcome Wagon. They also sued the State of Arizona for doing the job for “We the People” that the Obama Administration refused to do and sent passenger planes, paid by your tax dollars, to transfer illegal immigrants from Central America into the United States at taxpayer expense. In many cases, the Obama Administration has completed the crime of human trafficking by meeting them at the border and transferring the illegal alien to the destination of their choice, in each of the 50 states and at taxpayer expense. We have watched as our current president said 22 times, “I don’t have the constitutional authority to grant executive amnesty.” And we watched as he proceeded to violate his own constitutional principles and his own oath of office, given before a nation, a world, and before “We the People” concluding with… ‘So help me God.’ President Obama’s executive amnesties are a blatant usurpation of Article I Congressional power, even by Obama’s own words and they must be reversed and the balance of power must be restored. We need a president who will build a fence, a wall, and a fence to finally secure all of our southern border and who will instill the will in a new administration to enforce laws passed by Congress. We need a president who will eliminate sanctuary cities and restore respect for the Rule of Law and for law enforcement officers both in and out of uniform. We need an immigration policy designed to enhance the economic, the social, and the cultural well-being of the United States of America. We need a president who opposes amnesty and who never feels the political need to try to redefine amnesty. We need a legal immigration merit system that rewards immigrants who can best reward America.

“We need a president who is pro-life, pro-marriage, a constitutional originalist, who will make judicial appointments of judges to the Supreme Court and all federal courts who believe the Constitution means what is says and means what it was understood to mean when ratified,” King added.

We need a president who is for a strong national defense, who has a plan to defeat the ideology of Islamic Jihad and destroy the caliphates. We need a president who will restore our military might, use it sparingly and judiciously. We need a president who can stare down Putin over the geopolitical chess board and out maneuver him on the world stage.

King said he wants a president who will repeal Obamacare, respect the Constitution and the balance of powers.

He stressed that the Republican Party nominee must be able to win and to do so “he must appeal to the full breadth of the Republican Party.”

I am convinced that Ted Cruz embodies all these qualities and qualifications and more. He has an unmatched intellect grounded in Constitutionalism, the Rule of Law, and American Exceptionalism. Senator Cruz has been unmatched in his tenacity to take on the Washington cartels. He knows how Washington works and has successfully taken on the DC elites. He has consistently stood on principle. He has persistently reminded us that Washington won’t listen. I can tell you from personal experience that Ted Cruz does listen. And he thinks, always grounded on our basic and shared values. And Ted Cruz knows how to act.

King concluded his press release by adding, “I believe Ted Cruz is the candidate who is the answer to my prayers, a candidate whom God will use to restore the Soul of America.”

Cruz responded after learning of King’s endorsement, saying he is honored.