Ted Cruz Born In Canada: Could Texas Senator Still Become President?

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz released his birth certificate, which has revealed some facts about the Tea Party favorite that could bring his eligibility for the presidency into question. Cruz handed off his certificate to Texas newspaper The Dallas Morning News, which published an article surrounding the documents Monday. It reveals that Cruz was born in Calgary, Canada to a U.S.-born mother with U.S. citizenship. Cruz has already been hitting major political hotspots such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in what appears to be preemptive to a presidential bid, which might not actually be hindered by the documents. Analysts told reporters that the Constitution states anyone who is a "natural born" citizen may run for president, and that the general rule is that anyone born to a U.S. citizen, even on foreign soil, is still considered "natural born."

"Senator Cruz became a U.S. citizen at birth, and he never had to go through a naturalization process after birth to become a U.S. citizen," Catherine Frazier, Cruz's spokeswoman, told the Dallas newspaper. "To our knowledge, he never had Canadian citizenship, so there is nothing to renounce."

Canadian law experts, however, argue that Cruz is also a Canadian citizen, potentially making him a dual citizen of both nations, putting his eligibility in a gray area. The Citizenship Act of 1947 states that anyone born on Canadian soil is automatically granted citizenship unless one or both of their parents are foreign diplomats, which Cruz's parents were not.

"If a child was born in the territory, he is Canadian, period," said France Houle, a law professor at the University of Montreal.

Though there is nothing against dual citizens running for office, this news will likely not bode well with opponents to the Tea-Party-backed senator. Cruz has the option to formally renounce his Canadian citizenship, however, by filling out some forms and making a payment of $100. There has been no statement about whether or not he will choose to do so.