MONROEVILLE, Pa. — A crowd filled the auditorium at Gateway High School in Monroeville Saturday morning as Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz held a campaign rally.
Cruz spoke to three issues, which he said the next election will come down to: jobs, freedom and security.
“We’re here this morning for something a lot more important than politics,” Cruz said. “We’re here this morning because our country’s in crisis, because we’re bankrupting our kids and grandkids, because our constitutional rights are under assault and because America has receded from leadership in the world.”
Cruz spoke about job creation and the challenges college students face with debt and being unable to easily find work after graduation. He emphasized the need to cut taxes and regulations on small business, which he called the heart of the economy, to promote the creation of jobs. %
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In addition, Cruz vowed to repeal Obamacare.
“We’re gonna pass common sense health care reform that makes health insurance personal and portable and affordable, and keeps government from getting in between us and our doctors,” he said.
When addressing taxes, Cruz knocked Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for coming out for higher taxes. He said his plan involves the passing of a flat tax.
“We’re going to pass a simple flat tax so that every one of us can fill out our taxes on a postcard. And when we do that, we should abolish the IRS,” he said.
That statement drew large applause from the audience.
During his speech, Cruz also placed emphasis on religious liberty without government interference and on the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms. He later touched on the topic of conflict between Israel and Palestine, promising that he would not be neutral.
“America will stand unapologetically with the nation of Israel,” Cruz said.
He went on to stress the need for a leader who will stand against terrorists, as well as the importance of rebuilding the U.S. military so that it remains the “mightiest fighting force on the face of the planet.”
“Anyone who can’t tell the difference between our friends and our enemies, anyone who can’t tell the difference between Israel and Islamic terrorists who want to kill us -- that raises real questions about their fitness in judgement to be commander in chief,” he said.
Cruz’s campaign stop in the Pittsburgh area comes ahead of Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary election. He urged people to go out and vote and to encourage others to do the same.
Clinton was in Pittsburgh Friday. On Monday, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders will be at the University of Pittsburgh and Republican candidate John Kasich will hold a town hall campaign event at Montour High School.