Ted Cruz Announces Presidential Bid For 2016: 'A New Generation Of Courageous Conservatives'

On Sunday night, Texas Senator Ted Cruz was the first GOP presidential hopeful to formally announce his bid for the Republican Party’s nomination. It’s only his 3rd year representing Texas in the Senate, but already Ted Cruz wants to be President of the United States. It’s wouldn’t be a first -- Barack Obama also ran during his first Senate term -- but it’s one of many straws on the back of a buckling camel. Cruz, a Baptist, announced his candidacy on Twitter.

“I'm running for President and I hope to earn your support!” said cruz in a Tweet, which included a 30 second campaign commercial. He called on “a new generation of conservatives in the video, saying, “I’m ready to stand with you to lead the fight.”

The Tweet preceded a Monday speech planned set to take place in Lynchberg, VA, at Liberty University, founded by another Baptist and conservative heavyweight Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr.. As the first Republican candidate out of the gate, Cruz will gain an advantage over the competition, various Republican strategists told the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal ahead of his announcement.

The choice of Liberty University -- a controversial conservative institution -- underscores Cruz’s intention to appeal straight to the Republican base. It’s possible that he hopes to steal the thunder -- and funders -- of other conservative candidates, such as Scott Walker, the other current frontrunner in the Republican race.

“Clearly his path here is to build a coalition of tea [partiers] and evangelicals,” Matthew N. Strawn, a former Iowa Republican chairman who hasn’t endorsed a candidate, said in an interview with the New York Times.

Cruz would certainly fire up the Republican base. Cruz ousted traditional Republican challengers in the 2012 election thanks to tea party support. Before that, he served two separate Government appointments under President George W. Bush, in the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission. He’s a solid social conservative, opposing things like abortion and gay marriage, a seething Hawk (one of the “Iran 47” and proposed axing Obama care for military spending), and a straight-forward fiscal conservative who believes in small government. Plus, he’s one of the few Hispanics at the top of the GOP ladder, at a time when the party is attempting to appeal to a growing minority voting bloc.

Yet despite his last name and his Cuban heritage, Cruz is unlikely to win over many Latino voters. For example, he’s well known for ardent opposition to Obamacare, a law that most Hispanics support, and millions directly benefit from. That’s a stark contrast from Susana Martinez, New Mexico’s Mexican-American governor, who embraced Obamacare and facilitated a state-run health exchange.

Cruz is also unlikely to steal any conservative Latino support from his Republican rivals. He’s the type of rank-and-file “secure-the-border-first” type of conservative that you wouldn’t be surprised seeing in army fatigues at a minuteman rally. Meanwhile, potential rivals like Jeb Bush are publicly endorsing a grand bargain on immigration that would lead include legal status for some undocumented immigrants.

According to some political analysts, Cruz would likely incur staunch opposition from about one third of the GOP. Perhaps even worse for the Republican party, an ultra-conservative like Cruz could motivate the Liberal base, who showed lackluster turnout in the midterms, and a frustration with Hillary Clinton.