“I intend to speak in support of defunding Obamacare until I am no longer able to stand,”  Sen. Ted Cruz said. After gaining media attention for his Senate speech, Cruz participated in The Texas Tribune Festival via Skype to an overcrowded ballroom in the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on Sept. 27.

The Texas Tribune Festival advertised that Cruz would discuss Texas’ role in nationwide politics. But when Cruz agreed to be the first keynote speaker for the festival, staff at the Texas Tribune did not know that Cruz would spend the week leading up to the event fighting to defund the Affordable Care Act. 

“Six months ago when we made the program, we did not realize how newsworthy Cruz would be,” Evan Smith, CEO of The Texas Tribune, said.

Taking the Senate battleground to heart

Two weeks ago Cruz was a senator known within Texas for his conservative ideals. Now, Cruz has become a voice heard nationwide, speaking out against the current health care reform.   

Cruz said that he has received letters from hardworking Americans who claim to be suffering from provisions of the new health care laws. Cruz asserted that the Affordable Care Act is stifling economic growth during a time when Americans need growth more than ever. Small business owners are the ones hit hardest by the health care reform, according to Cruz.

After he finished pointing out the negatives of President Barack Obama’s current plan, Cruz listed the changes that he sees as most critical to a health care reform: 

• Allow people to purchase health insurance across state lines
• Expand health savings accounts
• Work to eliminate the connection between employment and health insurance

These points garnered an enthusiastic response from the crowd. “Until recently, the Republicans’ stance on this has been really muddled. It was nice for everyone to hear some strong and also smart ideas coming from the Republican side about health care,” junior Colin Stonecipher said.

Cruz also addressed rumors that he intends to run as the Republican candidate in the 2016 elections, since according to the polls, he is currently the top choice. But Cruz said he has no intentions to run, despite suspecting trips he recently took to Iowa and New Hampshire. 

“I put very little stock in polls,”‪ Cruz said. “I think the Senate right now is the battleground.”

Cruz fights for 26 million Texans

Cruz said numerous times that his mission is to support the 26 million people who call Texas their home. For Cruz, this means preserving the conservative values that represent Texas. 

But this doesn’t mean that all Texans share the same set of values. 

“Voters are multidimensional and don’t just vote straight party lines or for one issue,” 2013 graduate Shelby Cole said. “I don’t know if they (Republicans) fully understand all the different groups out there who they’re the mouthpiece for.”

Smith pointed out that Cruz is making plenty of enemies in Washington, Democrats and Republicans alike. But that’s insignificant for Cruz, since he believes he’s fighting a good fight for Texans. 

“I’m far more focused on what the 26 million Texans need than being invited to the next cocktail party,” Cruz said. “I don’t like cocktail parties anyway.”

More than health care

Although Cruz and Smith’s dialogue focused specifically on health care, the pair also touched on other issues such as immigration reform and gay marriage.

Immigration:

In the 2012 Texas Senate race, Cruz garnered 40 percent of the Hispanic vote, a large feat for a Republican candidate. Cruz supports a three-part plan for immigration reform: 

• Secure the border
• Streamline the process of legal immigration
• Create a pathway to citizenship for those who are here illegally

Despite his steadfast stance on health care, Cruz insisted that Congress cannot be so polarized about immigration. He said that Congress must come to a bi-partisan agreement. 

Gay marriage:

Spurred by a question from an audience member, Cruz said he is a firm supporter of traditional marriage between a man and a woman. He is against both gay marriage and the higher courts manipulating state laws. Cruz thinks that gay marriage should be addressed on a state-by-state basis by state governments, and gay marriage does not reflect Texas values.