Ted Cruz

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Who is Ted Cruz?

Texas Senator, former prosecutor, and Tea Party favorite, Ted Cruz, announced his intent to run for the 2016 Presidential election on March 23rd, 2015 over twitter.

Cruz Biography

Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz was born on December 22, 1970, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The conservative earned a Bachelor's degree from Princeton University, and went on to graduate from Harvard Law school. Additionally while at Harvard, he founded the Harvard Latino Law Review.

Cruz worked for sometime as an attorney post graduation, and eventually served as an advisor on George W. Bush's 2000 Presidential campaign. Cruz didn't gain national attention until a surprising 2012 senate win with the support of the tea party. As a senator, Cruz supported and helped organize a government wide shutdown in opposition to Obamacare with a 21-hour long speech against the healthcare plan. He is currently in his third year as senator, which is the first elected position he has ever held.

Interestingly, in 2014, Cruz renounced his dual Canadian citizenship although it did not jeopardize his plans to run for presidency. In March 2015, he publicly announced his intent to run for the Republican nomination.

Cruz has traditionally been an extreme conservative often appealing to the Christian vote. After he announced his presidential candidacy, Cruz appeared at Liberty University, a Christian college, to rally his supporters. According to CBS news, Cruz said, "Today, roughly half of born-again Christians aren't voting. Imagine instead millions of people of faith all across America coming out to the polls and voting our values." The day following this rally, Cruz's campaign brought in approximately $1 million in donations.

Cruz is a passionate advocator for limited government, economic growth, and the Constitution. He has gained a certain reputation on the Hill, and has made it clear he did not come to Washington to make friends. Although it is unclear whether he can muster enough support to take the Republican nomination, it is clear that Ted Cruz has become the leader and face of the conservative movement.

Cruz & The Issues

Education: Cruz has publicly stated that he wants to repeal the Common Core education standards placed on states by the federal government. He is currently a co-sponsor of the Local Control of Education Act, which allows states to opt out common core without affecting their ability to receive federal grant money.

Foreign Policy: Cruz proposes placing tougher sanctions on Iran. He believes that current nuclear talks should be halted until Congress is able to approve of the outlines of a deal. Furthermore, Cruz's strong opposition towards the Iran deal is summed up in a new bill he recently unveiled called "Sanction Iran, Safeguard America Act". In regards to the Islamic State, Cruz wants to continue air strikes, but does not believe the U.S should deploy ground troops quite yet. However, he has clarified that if rebel fighters are unable to combat ISIS then the U.S should reconsider sending troops in on the ground.

Social Issues: As a conservative, Cruz has opposed the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. He has stated that only four states (Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee) must abide by the ruling while all the other states should ignore it. In regards to abortion, it is unclear whether Cruz would work to overturn the historical Roe v. Wade decision, but he has made statements referring the court's decision as a "dark anniversary". Furthermore, Cruz has supported bans on using taxpayer money to fund abortions and bans of so-called partial birth abortions.

Immigration and Refugees: As a longtime conservative, Cruz has strongly expressed his opposition towards Presisent Obama's executive order to waive deportation. He filed a bill to block the executive order arguing that this course of action only encourages increased illegal immigration. Additionally, Cruz opposed the 2013 comprehensive immigration bill, which he believed offered "amnesty" to undocumented immigrants.

Obamacare: Cruz has made it abundantly clear that he does not support Obamacare as exemplified in his 21-hour speech on the Senate floor denouncing the Affordable Care Act. He is strongly opposed to this health care law, and plans to repeal it as soon as elected.

Taxes: Cruz proposes moving towards a flat tax plan, which he has dubbed "Simple Flat Tax". The plan involves taxing 10 percent of all incomes over $36,000 a year (family of four). The plan also includes creating a "business flat tax", which involves a flat 16 percent tax on consumption. Cruz'z reasoning behind this "Simple Flat Tax" plan is that with a simpler tax code, the IRS would ultimately be unnecessary. Thus, he wants to abolish the IRS entirely with his proposed policies.

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