Promoted from the diaries

Ted Cruz, fresh off his amazing win in the runoff for the Texas Republican Senate primary on Tuesday, was in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday for this year’s RedState Gathering. He gave a great speech to kick off the conference and was kind enough to sit down for a interview with me.

I first met Cruz at CPAC 2011 and have followed his campaign as it has progressed from only getting 2% in the first polls. It’s very similar to how Marco Rubio’s first poll was just 3%, leading those of us who supported him from the beginning to call ourselves the “Three Percenters.” Cruz acknowledged the parallels and gives a lot of credit to Marco Rubio: “he blazed the path that we followed.”

He also attributes his victory to the support he received from conservative activists and bloggers around the country:

Social media was a very powerful tool, bloggers were incredibly helpful. Sarah, your support, over a year ago, I mean, you were a two percenter in this race, and I am grateful for it because it helped spread the message, spread the word…

…this is the way elections are supposed to be decided. It’s not supposed to be a handful of lobbyists in a back room, writing some checks and deciding this will be the next Senator. It’s supposed to be “We The People.”

Here’s the interview, enjoy:

YouTube | RedState Gathering interview with Senate Candidate Ted Cruz (R-TX)

I have to admit, I was thrilled that Cruz called me “a relentless voice for liberty.” Might have to put that on my business cards. I know I join a lot of you here in saying that I cannot wait to be able to officially call him “Senator Ted Cruz!”

Raz Shafer and Brian Sikma, who I met at the Gathering, also got a great interview with Ted Cruz, and it’s posted here.

[Cross-posted at Sunshine State Sarah]