U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced on Monday that he will run for the Republican presidential nomination, while Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Florida congresswoman who leads the Democratic National Committee, called him the de-facto leader of the GOP with a reckless approach to governing.
Cruz, whose name had been bandied about for months as a possible presidential hopeful, came to conservative Liberty University in Virginia to make the announcement.
Playing up his familys progress in the United States, Cruz noted the words of Founding Fathers from Virginia like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry as he called for reigniting the promise of America and calling on Christians to play more of a role in the public square.
Imagine millions of courageous conservatives all across America rising up together to say in unison, we demand our liberty. Today, roughly half of born-again Christians aren't voting, Cruz said. They're staying home. Imagine instead millions of people of faith all across America coming out to the polls and voting our values. Today, millions of young people are scared, worried about the future, worried what the future will hold. Imagine millions of young people coming together and standing together saying, we will stand for liberty. Think just how different the world would be. Imagine, instead of economic stagnation, booming economic growth.
Cruz called for more economic opportunity while supporting the repeal of President Barack Obamas health-care law, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and backing more religious liberty.
The power of the American people when we rise up and stand for liberty knows no bounds, Cruz insisted. I believe in you. I believe in the power of millions of courageous conservatives rising up to reignite the promise of America. And that is why today I am announcing that I am running for president of the United States.
It is a time for truth. It is a time for liberty, Cruz continued. It is a time to reclaim the Constitution of the United States. I am honored to stand with each and every one of you. Courageous conservatives. As we come together to reclaim the promise of America, to reclaim the mandate, the hope and opportunity for our children and our children's children, we stand together for liberty.
This is our fight, Cruz concluded. The answer will not come from Washington it will come from only the men and women across this country. from men and women, from people of faith, from lovers of liberty, from people who respect the Constitution, it will only come as it has come at every other time of challenge in this country, when the American people stand together and say we will get back to the principles that made this country great. We will get back and restore that shining city on a hill, that is the United States of America.
"As the de-facto leader of the Republican Party in recent years, it is only fitting that Ted Cruz would position himself in front of the GOPs 2016 presidential field, Debbie Wasserman Schultz said on Monday. But Cruzs determination to oppose and obstruct any and all attempts to help the middle class is the embodiment of whats wrong with the Republican Party.
"Ted Cruz clearly could not understand that shutting down the government, so he could deny millions of Americans health care and costing the economy $24 billion in the process was not a fight worth having, Wasserman Schultz added. He was then willing to do it over again and threaten our national security in the process. His reckless approach to governing would make life worse, not better for Americans and he isnt the type of fighter that Americas middle class families need."
Cruz was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, beating Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a favorite of the GOP establishment, in the primary. Before that, Cruz was a domestic policy adviser to George W. Bush during his presidential campaign in 2000 and was the solicitor general of Texas.
Earlier in the month, former IRS Commissioner Mark Everson announced he was running for the Republican presidential nomination while many other Republicans are expected to announce their campaigns in the coming weeks.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
