Three of the four remaining Republican presidential candidates made their policy pitches to conservative grassroots voters at a conference outside Washington D.C. Friday and Saturday.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas each took their turns at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or “CPAC,” over separate speeches. The fourth remaining candidate — businessman Donald Trump — cancelled his planned Saturday appearance in order to speak in Kansas and Florida.

Below, The Daily Signal compiled some of the policy highlights offered by the candidates.

Sen. Ted Cruz:

If he were to win the Republican nomination, Cruz told the audience that he plans on making the general election about three things: jobs, liberty, and security.

1. Reduce Small Business Regulations

Cruz said the “heart of the economy isn’t Washington D.C. It’s not New York City. The heart of our economy is the small businesses all over this country.”

“You want to crush the economy? Hammer small business like we have over the last seven years,” Cruz said. “You want to unchain the economy, lift the boot of the government off the backs of the necks of small businesses.”

In addition, Cruz said he’d abolish the Internal Revenue Service and install an across-the-board flat tax in its place. The Texas Republican stated that under his administration, taxpayers could calculate what they owe “on the back of a postcard.”

2. Repeal and Replace Obamacare

Cruz told the crowd that he will “repeal every word of Obamacare.” And in its place, he promised to lead the effort to pass “common sense health care reform.” That plan, he said, would “make health care personal, portable, and affordable.”

It would “keep government from getting between us and our doctors,” Cruz said.

3. Immigration

For Cruz, border security is a top issue. “Immigration is a law enforcement matter. Immigration is a national security matter. But at its heart immigration is an economic matter,” he said.

“When you allow 12 million people to come to this country illegally,” he said “you take away millions of jobs from U.S. citizens and from legal immigrants and you drive down wages for everyone.”

4. Supreme Court

Until after the next president is elected, Senate Republicans have pledged to keep open the seat vacated by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Cruz noted, therefore, that the election is about the control of two branches of government.

Cruz, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said a liberal justice could tip the ideological balance of the court with significant consequences.

“We are one liberal justice away from the Supreme Court ruling that government can take our religious liberty away and force every one of us to violate our faith on penalty of prison or poverty,” Cruz said.

In Cruz’s view, a liberal nominee could endanger the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment, and even the war memorials of veterans.

5. National Security

Cruz promised to be a strong commander in chief, “willing to utter the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’” And after identifying whom he considers the enemy, Cruz said he would deploy overwhelming force.

“America has always been reluctant to use military force. We are slow to anger. But if and when military force is required, we should use overwhelming force, kill the enemy, and then get the heck out.”

Dismissing criticism of being a warmonger, Cruz said his national security outlook is “exactly the opposite.”

“I believe, like Ronald Reagan, in peace through strength. I actually think the weakness of Barack Obama invites military conflict and it encourages our enemies,” he said.

6. ‘Blue Lives Matter’

When Fox News talk show host Sean Hannity joined Cruz on stage, the Texas senator asked rhetorically, “When did it become controversial to say every human being is precious?”

Critiquing the Black Lives Matter movement, Cruz accused his Democratic rivals of being afraid to say “all lives matter.” Pointing to New York City, he credited the New York Police Department with dramatically reducing the murder rate.

“Talk about the thousands of black lives that have been saved because of the bravery of our police officers,” Cruz said. “All lives matter, but let me tell you blue lives matter. And we will stand with the men and women who protect us.”

Sen. Marco Rubio

During his speech to conservative conference-goers, the Florida senator addressed a wide range of issues, including abortion and the fundamentals of conservatism. Rubio first addressed CPAC attendees in a speech and then took questions from CNN reporter Dana Bash.

7. ‘Our Rights Come From God.’

Rubio’s speech started out in the same manner as that of Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., and both senators talked about America’s founding.

“What will solve our problems is a specific set of ideas built on the bedrock of principles that made America the greatest nation to begin with and applying those principles to the challenges of this new century and those principles are not complicated,” Rubio said.

The Florida senator stressed that while some believe that Americans’ rights come from government, he disagrees.

“It begins with the notion that this nation was founded on a powerful, spiritual principle that our rights do not come from government,” Rubio said. “Our rights do not come from our laws. Our rights do not come from our leaders. Our rights come from God.”

8. The Expansive Federal Government

Rubio, who was elected to the Senate in 2010, rejected the idea that government is needed to solve the problems that Americans face in their everyday lives.

“We have reached a moment in our history where we think that every problem in America has to have a federal government solution,” he said. “Every problem in America does not have a federal government solution. In fact, most problems in America do not have a federal government solution, and many are created by the federal government to begin with.”

9. ‘Free Enterprise Is the Best Economic System in the History of the World’

In many of his speeches, Rubio tells attendees of his parents’ backgrounds, and his Saturday address at CPAC was no different. Both Cuban born, his mother worked as a maid and his father as a bartender.

The Florida senator acknowledges that his parents worked hard to build good lives for their four children, and Rubio attributes that to free enterprise.

“Do you know why my parents had a job? Because free enterprise works. Because someone created those jobs. With those jobs, they were able to feed their families and raise them and buy a home for a better future,” he said. “Free enterprise is the best economic system in the history of the world because it’s the only system where you can make poor people richer and you don’t have to make rich people poorer.”

10. A Strong National Defense

In outlining the key tenets of conservatism, Rubio outlined the need for a strong national defense, but stressed that showing strength does not always mean going to war.

“Conservatism means believing in a strong national defense not because we love war, but because we love peace, because history has taught us a painful lesson that weakness is the enemy of peace.”

11. The State of the Supreme Court

Following the death of Scalia, Republicans in the Senate have decided not to hold any hearings for anyone Obama nominates. Their decision has been criticized by Senate Democrats, but Republican senator leaders — including Rubio — have stressed that the American people should have a say in who the next justice is.

“The Supreme Court can function with eight justices. The number nine is set by Congress. I’m not advocating we do this, but if we wanted to change it to eight or seven, we could. There’s no magic number nine,” Rubio said.

The Florida senator told attendees of the consequences of allowing the president to appoint a new justice during his last year in office.

“This president is completely unaccountable. He is going to be nominating someone to what is basically a lifetime appointment, and we can’t hold it against him in an election,” Rubio said. “So we’re going to have a debate in this country over this. There’s going to be an election in November. God willing we’re going to nominate and elect a conservative, that conservative will then appoint, I hope, someone more like Justice Scalia than the kind of nominees we’ve gotten out of this president.”

12. ‘We Will Find Our Everything [Terrorists] Know

During his CPAC speech, Rubio addressed the debate surrounding interrogation techniques, and made it clear that he would indeed employ such techniques.

“You cannot use the same interrogation techniques on a terrorist that you do on a criminal. Here’s why. When you are interrogating a criminal, what you are trying to do is gather evidence for a trial so you can convict them,” he said. “When you are interrogating a terrorist, what you are trying to do is gather information to prevent a future terrorist attack. It’s not about evidence for trial. And I don’t talk about interrogating techniques. Do you know why I don’t talk about interrogation techniques? Because when you describe interrogation techniques, terrorists can now, and they do, practice evading interrogation techniques — how to evade telling you the truth.”

“So we are going to interrogate terrorists, but right now that’s not even an issue,” he continued.

Rubio stressed that he would leave the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, open — a position that differs greatly from Obama’s.

“Right now Barack Obama doesn’t send [terrorists] anywhere. He’s releasing terrorists from Guantanamo,” Rubio said. “Who are we gonna interrogate? When I’m president, if we capture a terrorist, they’re going to Guantanamo, and we will find out everything they know.”

13. The Sanctity of Human Life

Rubio stressed today that he believes that life begins at conception, and told CPAC attendees of how his Christian faith influences his pro-life stance.

“My faith influences me to believe that all human life, all human life is worthy of the protection of our laws.”

14.  Race Relations

CNN’s Bash, taking a question from the social media site Twitter, asked Rubio how he plans to unite the country, particularly in a time when there has been growing racial tensions across the country and violence against police officers.

“We have tremendous admiration and respect for our police officers, and I thank God every day for what they do for our families,” Rubio said of the law enforcement community.

The Florida senator went on to acknowledge the growing divide among races, and outlined his plan to unite the country.

“I also think in this country, irrespective of police departments, putting aside the police department issue, yes, there are significant number of Americans that live in majority minority communities who think they’re locked out of the American dream. And if a significant percentage of the American family feels like they’re being left behind, we have an issue, and we have to confront it,” Rubio said.

“And here’s how we’re going to confront it. We’re going to confront it by embracing free enterprise. It is the only economic model in the world where you can make people better off without pulling anyone else down.”

“I believe free enterprise works because I’ve lived it. My parents would never have been able to achieve for our family what they achieved in America anywhere else on the planet,” he continued. “Because almost anywhere else in the world, your future is decide by whether or not your parents are the right people or connected to the right people. Not in America. That’s not who we’ve been. That’s not who we’re going to be. … In the end, all this hyphenation stuff, that’s fine, but we’re all Americans.”

Gov. John Kasich

15. ‘Give Everyone a Chance to Rise’

In a nod towards criminal justice reform, Kasich called for providing treatment for drug users and the mentally ill as alternatives to prison.

“I come from the [Ronald] Reagan and [Jack] Kemp school,” Kasich said. “When our economies are doing better, we have an obligation to reach out to those people who live in the shadows, to give them an opportunity to achieve their God-given potential — that means the mentally ill. The mentally ill should not be sleeping under a bridge or living in our prisons. They have a right to be treated and get on their feet and assume their God-given purpose. Let’s give everyone a chance to rise.”

16. Faith

Kasich implored an audience mostly filled with Millennials to keep their faith, chase their dreams, and give back.

“I have a message to the young people who are here today,” Kasich said. “You should all know that that you were all made special. Nobody has ever been made like you and no one ever will. I believe the Lord makes us special for a special purpose. And your job is to find those gifts and live a life bigger than yourself, and change the world in which you live.”

17. ‘Run America From the Bottom-Up’

The Ohio governor believes the private sector should drive the economy, and that local and state government are better boosters of economic success than the federal government.

“The strength of our country, the vitality our country, the spirit of country, rests in our families, our neighbors, our communities, our states,” Kasich said. “Don’t wait for somebody to come and fix the problems where you are. Fix them yourself. Send education, welfare, infrastructure, healthcare for the poor, and job training, all back to where you live, and you’ll have more power because we have to run America from the bottom-up. That’s what works.”

18. Limited Government

Kasich said he would fulfill traditional Republican priorities, promising less regulations and taxes and a balanced budget.

He said it’s important for a president to develop a strong working relationship with Congress.

“I am going to [have] a plan to reduce federal regulations, to reduce taxes on businesses and individuals, and have a plan to balance the budget,” Kasich said. “We are going to fix social security, fix the border, have immigration taken care of, and restore relations with our allies. We need shock and awe down there and to say to the Congress, this is where we are going, let’s get together.”

19. Technology Rules

Government should stay out of the way when companies like Uber shake up an industry with innovative ideas, Kasich said.

“Let’s Uberize the federal government,” Kasich said. “Let’s Uberize all the government, and bring technology, innovation, and the speed of business to everything we do in government and have some guts. The fact of the matter is we need to welcome innovation and change. It makes us new, fresh and alive again.”

20. ‘Destroy ISIS’

Kasich said U.S. ground troops will be required to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but that a combat force should be led by allied countries closer to the fight.

“We have to do just like what we did to get Saddam [Hussein] out of Kuwait,” Kasich said. “You get the Arabs, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the gulf states, and others, and bring our western allies in the air, on the ground and destroy ISIS.”

The Ohio governor also spoke against regime change, and said America’s primary focus should be protecting the homeland and its immediate interests.

“Don’t be a nation builder and don’t think you can convince all of these people to our way of life,” Kasich said. “It’s not going to happen. You go to war, you win the war and you don’t fool around with it. Unfortunately, you cannot win this in the air. You have to take ground. Destroy them, settle it down and come home, let them draw the map, and don’t be the policeman of the world. We have to lead or nothing will happen and ISIS will grow bigger and dig in deeper.”

 

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