Ted Cruz spoke at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland. He is the first to announce his bid in the 2016 presidential elections.
Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican Senator, formally announced on Monday that he will be running for President for the 2016 elections, making Cruz the first to publicly and officially announce his presidential bid.
Cruz made his announcement at Liberty University, one of the largest Christian universities in the world. His announcement was interwoven with religious stories and allusions, including a testimony of his parents coming to Christ in the announcement. Cruz described that both his parents once drank much alcohol, until his father committed his life to Christ.
"God transformed his heart," Cruz said. "There are people who wonder if faith is real. I can tell you that in my family, there is not a second of doubt."
He went on to describe some of points that he plans to focus on during his campaign, including the repealing of Obamacare; an immigration system that "secures the borders" while welcoming "those who come to achieve the American dream"; religious freedom; "uphold[ing] the sacrament of marriage; standing "unapologetically with the nation of Israel"; and "defeat[ing] radical Islam."
"The answer will not come from Washington; it will come only from the men and women across this country," Cruz said in his concluding remarks. "It will only come as it has come at every other time in this country, when men and women will stand up and restore that shining city on a hill."
Cruz graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School. He has a relatively short career in politics as a first-term senator who began his career in 2012, but previously served as the youngest and longest-serving solicitor general of Texas. His father is Cuban and a pastor, and his mother is American. Cruz is known to be a Southern Baptist.
As the first to have announced his presidential bid, Cruz will be receiving much public attention and scrutiny until more candidates come forward. Other potential GOP candidates include Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida (1999-2007), and Scott Walker, the current governor of Wisconsin.
