Republican 2016 hopefuls woo faithful at Texas megachurch

Cruz, Huckabee and Santorum already enjoy strong support from churchgoers, as does Carson, whose unorthodox campaign has been buoyed for years by religious conservatives. Set to address a presidential forum at the 40,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church on Sunday are tea party favorites Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum. Ted Cruz, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen.

Responding to questions about his church’s non-profit status perhaps being violated because the event was political, Graham said that Democratic presidential hopefuls were also invited – but didn’t appear. Rand Paul, who grew up and went to college in Texas.

The idea is to “connect candidates and their messages with people of faith who are potential voters”, said Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith & Freedom Coalition.

Grassroots groups in tea party-dominated Texas largely have shunned Bush in favor of insurgent candidates like Cruz or Trump, but Bush has courted Christian conservatives at many events around the country organized by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, which also helped put together Sunday’s gathering. Rick Santorum. Front-runner Donald Trump is not expected to make an appearance.

Cruz said faith in America ‘was under assault, ‘ prompting a few in the sprawling, stadium-style sanctuary to bellow ‘Yes!’ He pointed to the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, and to businesses that he said had faced boycotts because they opposed same-sex weddings on religious grounds. They are a large part of his support in Iowa, where February caucuses will be the first delegate selection contest of the 2016 race. “We need to pass laws at the federal and state level to protect religious conscience”, he said. Republican candidates are gunning for these voters in the early primaries in Iowa, South Carolina and Texas where evangelicals play a big role.

Texas moved up its presidential primary, and is scheduled to be the largest of 13 states voting on “Super Tuesday” March 1.

Fiorina – a businesswoman and another of the “outsider” Republican candidate who have never held public office – will be looking to build support among religious conservatives, who are not her natural constituency.

Bush faces a similar situation. In his remarks at Prestonwood, Bush stressed his “pro-life” record while governor of Florida. Bush has done more fundraising than campaigning in the state so far, as has Sen.

Sunday’s forum also featured the winners of the last two Iowa Republican caucuses, both with big support from evangelicals: Huckabee in 2008 and Santorum in 2012.