Cherryroad Media America is in crisis, but if they just hold on, a revival is coming, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz told an excited crowd of supporters Friday afternoon in downtown Ottawa.

And it could come as soon as the first Tuesday in November.

The recent stop at Legacy Square was part of the 17-state Take America Back bus tour, featuring Cruz, a Texas Republican, currently traveling the country stumping for other GOP candidates in several key races. Cruz, who took office in 2013 and ran for the Republication nomination in the 2016 presidential election, is not up for election this year. Instead, he was in Ottawa to support Republican candidate Amanda Adkins.

Adkins, who is taking on U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat, for the 3rd Congressional District seat, warmed up the crowd during Friday’s rally. Adkins, a former Cerner Corp. executive and a two-term Kansas Republican Party chairperson from Overland Park, asked the audience if they were better off today than they were just a few years ago.

“This country is in terrible shape right now,” Adkins said. “So much of it is due to the bad policies of Joe Biden, and Sharice Davids has voted with him 100 percent of the time. When I visit with people throughout the 3rd District, the one thing I consistently hear is that people are worried about the economy. Worried about inflation…You deserve better.”

Adkins said she was committed to fiscal restraint and would focus her efforts on reducing the deficit unlike the Democrats who were guilty of reckless spending. Adkins also touched on recent spikes in crime and problems related to immigration and the southern border.

“I’ve spent time talking with the (Franklin County) sheriff and have spoken with other sheriffs, and what I hear every single time is where we see violence, where we see crime what’s always underlying is the direct result of drugs that are flowing into our communities,” Adkins said. “Folks, I don’t have to tell you, they’re coming across our southern border, the cartels have a multi-billion- dollar business. Joe Biden and Sharice Davids have failed to secure the border, coming straight up I-35 into our communities, and it’s having a devastating impact. My commitment to you – we will secure the border, and we will secure America, but we need to change the trajectory now.”

Republicans, Adkins said, must take back control in order to fix what’s wrong with America, beginning with the 3rd Congressional District seat.

“You know this is one of the most competitive races in the entire country,” she said. “I am honored that you would join me here today to march toward victory… We have to change things, folks. We have to change things.”

Ellie Turner, a spokesperson for Sharice for Congress responded to Adkins’ remarks, in an email Saturday morning.

“At the same time Amanda Adkins is campaigning on division and extreme partisanship, Rep. Sharice Davids is highlighting how she’s helped Kansans save money on prescription drugs and health insurance — and that tells you all you need to know about their priorities.”

While Cruz touched on some of the same issues Adkins mentioned early on, the Texan fired up the crowd as he listed several missteps, he said were directly related to the Democrats and U.S. President Joe Biden. Inflation and the rising cost of food, problems at the southern border and the damage the United States have experienced in the past two years were just a few of the issues responsible for weakening the country, he said.

“I’m here today with a word of hope, and a word of encouragement,” Cruz said. “Two simple messages: America is in crisis. But we know this. We all know this. Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer: They’ve managed to get every single policy wrong. That’s actually impressive. It’s hard to get everything wrong.

“If they rolled the dice, if they threw a dart, something by accident would be right. You’ve got inflation out of control. You go to the grocery store. The cost of food is skyrocketing. The cost of electricity, the cost of rent, the cost of lumber. Mortgages tripling… gasoline. Heck, it’s so bad Antifa can’t afford bricks. It is so bad, (U.S. Rep.) Eric Swalwell can’t afford Chinese dinners. Actually, it’s so bad, Hunter Biden can’t afford crack cocaine. It is bad.”

Illegal immigration, Cruz noted, was at an all-time high, which he attributed to the Biden presidency.

“It’s the worst crisis at our southern border we’ve ever seen,” he said. “(Approximately) 4.4 million people have crossed illegally into the country…I’ve spent a lot of time on the southern border, and it’s never been this bad. Every day, thousands upon thousands are coming in. Little children being physically abused, being sexually abused. Crime, disease, suffering, and it’s all a deliberate political decision.

“As bad as all the domestic policy is, as bad as all the economic policy, the foreign policy is even worse. The national security policy is even worse. From a year ago, Joe Biden’s indefensible decision to surrender to the Taliban, and leave Americans behind…And across the globe, every enemy of America, they look to the Oval Office, they took the measure of the man in the Oval Office, and they concluded tragically that our Commander in Chief is weak, feckless and ineffective. And every enemy of America today is stronger, and America is in greater jeopardy than we ever have been.”

While Cruz admitted his first message was bleak, his second, he said, was one of hope.

“Revival is coming. I believe that with all my heart,” he said. “Throughout history politics has been a natural pendulum, one party gets power and goes too far in one direction, and the American people pull it back. Every time we see Biden, (Kamala) Harris, (Nancy) Pelosi and (Chuck) Schumer do some dumbass policy, part of me grieves – it grieves for the damage that’s being done to this country. But part of me quietly celebrates because it’s accelerating the American people coming back. Eyes are opening.”

The sound of applause and cheers from the audience drowned out Cruz’s words several times throughout his speech. During his remarks, the Texas senator jokingly poked fun at dissenters, who stood down the street shouting comments.

Cruz told the audience the purpose of the bus tour was to do everything he could to energize, mobilize and to convince people to take the country back.

“Why I’m here today supporting my friend, Amanda Adkins,” he said. “She’s willing to stand up and fight the crazed lunatics who are tearing our country apart. She’s not confused on the question: What is a woman? She doesn’t think it’s a good idea to defund the police. She’s willing to stand up and fight for the commonsense heartland values of the great state of Kansas.”

“This seat has been called a battleground seat, a swing seat, it’s not going to be in 2022.Amanda’s going to win by a sizable margin.”

Cruz said the Republican Party also must focus on talking to other American voters besides those who already support its vision.

“We’ve got to win people’s hearts and minds,” he said. “You know, too often, Republicans spend too much of their time talking to the 2.6 million people watching Fox News every night. Now listen, the choir needs some preaching, but we’ve got to spend a lot more time talking to young people, talking to Hispanics, talking to African Americans, talking to suburban moms.”

While he admits there’s work to be done, Cruz earned a standing ovation as he urged the audience to be part of the change and join the fight.

“This fight is worth fighting,” he said. “This nation is worth defending. Freedom is worth defending. Free enterprise is worth defending. Mothers and dads are worth defending. Our children are worth defending. The Constitution is worth defending. The Bill of Rights is worth defending. America is worth defending. We’re not standing down from defending the greatest nation in the world.”