Tony Perkins, evangelical giant, endorses Cruz

'This is about his standing on conservative principles'

By Cheryl Chumley
Published January 27, 2016 at 6:33am

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas

Evangelical leader Tony Perkins, who serves as president of the Family Research Council, has named his personal pick for president and it's Sen. Ted Cruz, the candidate he sees as standing for the principles espoused by the Founding Fathers.

In a tweet, Perkins wrote: "I am personally endorsing Ted Cruz for president of the United States. #Cruz2016."

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He also went on the "Kelly File" on Fox News and addressed why he chose Cruz and not front-runner Donald Trump.

"This is about [Cruz's] standing on conservative principles, it's about his standing on the Constitution, not his standing in the polls or his standing with his colleagues," Perkins said, the Hill reported. "That's why I support him. He's a bold leader, he's the kind of leader we need right now in America."

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Perkins said Cruz has a proven background in standing strong on principle during his time in the Senate, saying he's "done exactly what he said he was going to do when he ran" for the office.

And why not Trump?

"Leadership is not all about making deals," he said. "Leadership is about standing on principle, about respecting the Constitution. No on understands the Constitution like Ted Cruz."

The endorsement comes as Trump picked up a key endorsement from Jerry Falwell Jr., part of an overall gain he's been making among evangelicals, as WND reported.