Texas businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley says while he’s trailing many candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, his campaign is building momentum.
Speaking to a smaller crowd, Binkley pitched his faith and business experience to Iowa State fairgoers attending the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox Saturday.
The Register is hosting a litany of presidential hopefuls at the fairgrounds, affording them 20 minutes each to pitch their case for the Republican nomination.
Binkley told attendees healthcare reform, U.S. debt, immigration and faith are core tenets of his campaign. He said he also hopes to reach out to people the Republican party aren’t reaching, like people in the inner city and college students.
“It would be impossible to do this if I don’t connect to the most difficult parts of America and who’s not hearing us,” Binkley said. “We’ve got some barriers we need to break to win. In order to change America we need to have a cultural movement.”
Binkley currently isn’t placing in the majority of national polls for the Republican nomination. He told reporters he’s currently 15,000 donors short of meeting the requirements to participate in the first Republican presidential debate later this month
However, he said he’s confident he’ll participate in the debate based on incoming new donations.
Along with several other candidates at the fair, Binkley pledged to pardon former President Donald Trump of any charges he currently faces in relation to the Jan. 6 insurrection and the 2020 election.
