He even hinted that he might consider Lee as a Supreme Court nominee if he is elected president. And Cruz said he is the only remaining candidate who can beat both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
While campaigning for president, he also helped kick off the re-election campaign of Lee at a rally of about 1,500 at a tightly packed American Preparatory Academy in Draper. At Provo High School in the afternoon, he addressed about 5,000 people crowded into its gym.
Cruz basked in the praise of two big-name Mormons: former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and conservative talk show host Glenn Beck. And former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina appeared at rallies to laud him.
At Lee's campaign launch, Cruz said, "I know this man in a way that can only be hardened in the heat of battle," including fighting together against Obamacare and the increasing debt that led to a partial government shutdown in 2013.
Cruz noted that during his 21-hour filibuster back then, Lee was at his side the whole time and took over some of the talking.
The first time Cruz and Lee met, they walked and talked about the Constitution for hours. Cruz asked the crowd if they remembered Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings," and added, "For Mike , the Constitution is 'my precious.'"
Lee said about Cruz, "It's weird having your best friend at work running for president."
Cruz may have another job in mind for Lee. After vowing to appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices who would protect the Constitution, he said Lee would look good there.
Cruz also called for abolishing the IRS, vowed to "repeal every word of Obamacare," protect religious liberty and gun rights, and end illegal immigration.
Fiorina said the kind of change Cruz seeks ruffles feathers, and "I am proud of the enemies that Mike Lee and Ted Cruz have made."
Beck said he always vows to be the worst enemy of politicians who do not keep promises. "I don't have any friends in Washington except these two," he said about Cruz and Lee. He added they are the first politicians he has ever endorsed.
"Mike and I both need food tasters in the Senate dining room" because of how they attack the status quo there, Cruz said.
Beck said that he, like many Mormons, believes in a prophecy that the Constitution will hang by a thread in the last days. He said he believes that now is that time, and people like Lee and Cruz will save it.
He also said the Book of Mormon was created as a guide on how to protect freedom in our day. At the Provo rally, many responded yelling, "I believe."
Romney — who had been campaigning for any GOP presidential candidate except Donald Trump — did not appear at Cruz's rallies, but endorsed him in a Facebook post on Friday. Cruz thanked him publicly for that on Saturday.
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