Invoking Ronald Reagan's legacy, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz urged Republicans on Wednesday night to stick to their conservative principles no matter what in a keynote speech kicking off the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.
Speaking at the Weyrich Awards dinner in Washington, the freshman senator and tea party favorite said conservative core beliefs would make the difference in next year's elections, according to Politico.
“I think 2014 has the potential to be a very, very good year at the ballot box,” he said, adding, “The number one way we could screw it up is if Republicans fail to stand for principle.”
In order to win the argument against Democrats, said Cruz, two key words should be “tattooed on every [Republican’s] hand”: “growth” and “opportunity.”
Cruz cited Sen. Rand Paul’s 13-hour filibuster of CIA Director John Brennan’s confirmation last week as a key example of the type of devotion that's needed.
“We’re not going to win the argument unless we understand that our ideas work,” he said.
“President Reagan didn’t have to agonize over a speech about how to convey that because he lived it. He understood this is who we are as Americans and every one of us in this room understands that also.”
Cruz will also deliver the closing speech at CPAC on Saturday evening.
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