In diverse and liberal New York, Ted Cruz seeks his sliver of support
BRONX, N.Y.—Fresh from a key victory in Wisconsin’s primary, Ted Cruz arrived at Saburosa 2 — a Dominican eatery owned by Chinese-Americans in the South Bronx — ready to court a small, conservative constituency scattered around the largely blue state of New York. But as the afternoon meet and greet unfolded, it became clear that the Texas senator wouldn’t be able to woo potential supporters without also encountering challengers.
“Why are you in the Bronx if you’re such an anti-immigrant?” asked Gonzalo Venegas, who was with his brother, Rodrigo. The two co-host a show on TeleSur English and make up the Bronx hip-hop duo Rebel Diaz.
As the brothers were escorted by police out of a crowd filled with men wearing either cowboy hats or yarmulkes, Rodrigo continued to rip into Cruz’s anti-immigration attitude and highlight what he called “environmental racism,” which his community was experiencing because of climate change.
“We’re one of the poorest congressional districts in the country, and to receive this right-wing bigot is an insult to the whole community,” he yelled. “People are dying!” he continued, as sweat rolled down his temple. “People are dying, Ted Cruz!”
Cruz shakes hands of supporters at Saburosa 2 in the Bronx. (Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP).
Though the meet and greet continued, the disruption set a tone for the event. Even if Cruz was able to arrange a backroom schmoozing session hosted by Democratic state Sen.Rubén Díaz, his plan to collect at least some of New York’s 95 GOP delegates would definitely come with image problems.
But in the face of protests, and despite polling in third place in the state, Cruz knew exactly what he was doing in a minority-rich district with conservative tendencies. New York is among the 24 states that award delegates by congressional district, rather than on a statewide basis. Generally each district choses three delegates — five in Missouri.
If Cruz is able to pick off a few districts where his socially conservative views appeal to voters — like the heavily Latino 15th Congressional District — he’ll receive a considerable bump in his delegate count, regardless of how unpopular he might be to the majority of Manhattanites. It explains his appearance in the Bronx on Wednesday, and his packed Thursday schedule, which includes a town hall in a village northwest of Albany, an appearance at a Bronx deli and a tour of a matzo bakery in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach.
Ted Cruz speaking to the press after the meet and greet. (Alyssa Bereznak/Yahoo News).
During a brief press Q&A after the event, Cruz made the connection between his views and those of the Latino community. He praised the immigrant work ethic, argued for the importance of small businesses and education, and bashed New York mayor and “liberal democrat” Bill de Blasio for being controlled by unions and not standing by the NYPD.
But when a news anchor for a Spanish-language television station asked him a question, he stumbled, attempting to answer in Spanish but then switching to English.
“I have the problem of a second-generation immigrant,” said the Texas senator, who famously sparred with former presidential candidate Marco Rubio during a debate about his Spanish-speaking skills. “I learned Spanish when I was a little kid, but to be honest, what I really spoke at home was Spanglish. As you know in our community, that’s true with just about everyone and certainly with their kids.”
He forged on.
“In the Hispanic community we have shared values,” he said. “The values that resonate in our community are faith, family, patriotism. I think the most powerful value in this community is the American dream. We’re filled with optimism. When my dad came to America from Cuba, he couldn’t speak English, he was washing dishes, but he was filled with hopes and dreams for the future and for his kids.”
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Though his stumble may have hurt his appearance of authenticity among potential Latino voters, many attendees at the event said Cruz’s socially conservative views on issues like abortion and religious liberty ultimately made him the more attractive candidate over New York resident Donald Trump.
“As a junior senator, he stood up against the establishment on a lot of issues and stood his ground,” Donald Sadler, a 51-year-old pastor from Orange County, N.Y., told Yahoo News. “He’s done things for the veterans, he’s pro-life, he’s pro-family, pro-constitution, pro second amendment — all the issues that are important to me, my family and the future of this country.”
Yonatan Telesky, a 30-year-old Orthodox Jewish resident of Manhattan and a registered Democrat, said that of the four viable candidates left in the race, Cruz is the only one whose views align with the interests of the Orthodox Jewish community and the black and Hispanic religious communities in the rest of New York State.
“If he makes a good campaign, he has a chance to win quite a few congressional districts,” Telesky told Yahoo News. “There are practically no Republicans here, so if he can get the few Republicans in each one, he might beat Trump.”
The scene outside the restaurant. (Photo: Alyssa Bereznak/Yahoo News).
As Cruz exited the building, flanked by a scrum of news reporters, a small crowd had formed outside the restaurant and around the shiny black SUV that would be his getaway car. A Muslim man sparred with a Cruz supporter, yelling about the senator’s recent comment that America must secure Muslim neighborhoods. Another man quietly held up a sign that said “Defy the gay mafia” next to a woman with a rainbow-colored sign that read “Love wins.” It was just another day in New York.
