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Ted Cruz Bronx Campaign Stop Gets Brutal: ‘Why Are You Here?’ [Video]

By Zachary Volkert
Published on: 05:42 PST, Apr 10, 2016

Ted Cruz made a campaign stop in the Bronx on Wednesday that’s unlikely to help his case that he’s the right choice for New York City voters. Videos show booing crowds and sparsely populated public appearances.

Greeted with animosity at every turn, Ted found out that his conservative policies — especially on immigration — had not made him any friends in the most diverse community in the United States. It’s safe to say the Bronx won’t be falling in Cruz’s favor next Tuesday.

As Ted climbed onto a platform at Sabrosura Chinese-Dominican restaurant, he was shouted over by a group of what local media reported to be hecklers. The pair of young men put particular emphasis on asking Cruz why he was denying climate change, and questioned why he would campaign in a community of immigrants given his “anti-immigrant” platform. Bronx Police eventually escorted them out of the event.

As it turns out, the protesters were doing a story for far-left Latin American news outlet TeleSur. You can watch the full video of their Ted Cruz Bronx campaign stop report below.

Another stop was canceled altogether. Students at Bronx Lighthouse College Preparatory Academy threatened to organize a walkout if Ted made a planned speech at their school. A group of young people wrote a letter to administrators that argued it was not appropriate for Cruz to speak at a school where the majority of the students were from migrant communities, reported New York Daily News.

“A group of students will be leaving during 4th period, as act of civil disobedience in regards to the arrival of Ted Cruz to BLCPA. We have all considered the consequences of our actions and are willing to accept them… The presence of Ted Cruz and the ideas he stands for are offensive. His views are against ours and are actively working to harm us, our community, and the people we love. He is misogynistic, homophobic, and racist.”

Even local politicians were clear to take a public stand against Cruz’s arrival, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., reported New York Post.

“Ted Cruz is a hypocrite. He not only offended New Yorkers, he offended Bronxites, and now he’s here today in New York and in the Bronx looking for money and votes. We in the Bronx know how offensive he’s been. We know the truth about our borough.”

Bronx episode aside, Ted already faces a steep uphill climb in the New York primary. At the epicenter of Wall Street Republicans, one of Donald Trump’s strongholds, Cruz is trailing by a humiliating 30 percent or more in nearly every poll released to date. Because of its huge delegate count, it could even be the nail in the coffin of the Texas senator’s campaign.

Additionally, Ted Cruz has made a habit of framing several of his other campaigns in more rural areas around his opposition to “New York values,” and Donald Trump’s supposed affiliation with them. Unsurprisingly, this did not go over well in the Bronx. Furthermore, the “New York” jab has caused some to claim that he is engaging in subtle racism toward the Jewish community. Geraldo Rivera has been particularly outspoken about the way he used the phrase in an Iowa video, where he says he attempted to contrast New York Jews with the state’s Evangelical voters.

[Photo via Bryan Thomas/Getty Images]

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