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| Sen. Ted Cruz will announce White House bid at Liberty University | Sen. Ted Cruz will announce White House bid at Liberty University |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Sen. Ted Cruz, the combative conservative who has made liberty the clarion call of his politics, will announce his intention to pursue a presidential bid Monday morning at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., according to a campaign adviser. | Sen. Ted Cruz, the combative conservative who has made liberty the clarion call of his politics, will announce his intention to pursue a presidential bid Monday morning at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., according to a campaign adviser. |
| The announcement by Cruz (R-Tex.) will make him the first major 2016 contender to formally declare a presidential bid. | The announcement by Cruz (R-Tex.) will make him the first major 2016 contender to formally declare a presidential bid. |
| His entry into the Republican race is likely to rupture the dynamics in the early field and will give other active contenders — including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Florida governor Jeb Bush — a competitive rival on the right. | His entry into the Republican race is likely to rupture the dynamics in the early field and will give other active contenders — including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Florida governor Jeb Bush — a competitive rival on the right. |
| Cruz, 44, a Harvard- and Princeton-educated lawyer elected to the Senate in 2012, is best known for championing controversial efforts to block implementation of President Obama’s health-care law in 2013. The crusade led to a 16-day government shutdown. | Cruz, 44, a Harvard- and Princeton-educated lawyer elected to the Senate in 2012, is best known for championing controversial efforts to block implementation of President Obama’s health-care law in 2013. The crusade led to a 16-day government shutdown. |
| But Cruz’s unrepentant battles against the Obama administration and with leaders of his own party have made him a hero to many conservatives and left him with a powerful national network of small-dollar donors. He will aim to raise $40 million to $50 million for his presidential bid. | But Cruz’s unrepentant battles against the Obama administration and with leaders of his own party have made him a hero to many conservatives and left him with a powerful national network of small-dollar donors. He will aim to raise $40 million to $50 million for his presidential bid. |
| The Houston Chronicle first reported the announcement. | The Houston Chronicle first reported the announcement. |
| Advisers said that in coming weeks, as he launches his campaign in early-voting states, Cruz plans to build upon that base of support and cast himself as an uncompromising GOP conservative who has challenged both parties during his short time in Washington. | Advisers said that in coming weeks, as he launches his campaign in early-voting states, Cruz plans to build upon that base of support and cast himself as an uncompromising GOP conservative who has challenged both parties during his short time in Washington. |
| Speaking over the past month to voters in early primary states and young people at the Conservative Political Action Committee’s annual meeting, Cruz has previewed what his campaign will aim to look like: a grass-roots conservative movement that spreads his message of intransigent conservatism nationwide, including repeal of the Affordable Care Act, abolition of the Common Core education standards, opposition to same-sex marriage and engagement in hawkish foreign policy. He has urged people to participate in a “grass-roots guerrilla campaign” modeled on the one that helped propel him to a Senate victory. | Speaking over the past month to voters in early primary states and young people at the Conservative Political Action Committee’s annual meeting, Cruz has previewed what his campaign will aim to look like: a grass-roots conservative movement that spreads his message of intransigent conservatism nationwide, including repeal of the Affordable Care Act, abolition of the Common Core education standards, opposition to same-sex marriage and engagement in hawkish foreign policy. He has urged people to participate in a “grass-roots guerrilla campaign” modeled on the one that helped propel him to a Senate victory. |
| “The only way we’re going to make this happen is by building a grass-roots army in New Hampshire and in all 50 states,” he said in Lincoln, N.H., last week. | “The only way we’re going to make this happen is by building a grass-roots army in New Hampshire and in all 50 states,” he said in Lincoln, N.H., last week. |
| [Read: Ted Cruz is the most underrated candidate in the 2016 field] | [Read: Ted Cruz is the most underrated candidate in the 2016 field] |
| Cruz is scheduled to give the convocation at Liberty University on Monday. By selecting the school, a private Christian college founded by fundamentalist preacher Jerry Falwell, as the site for his announcement, Cruz is also sending a clear signal to conservative Republican primary voters about his candidacy and his political positioning heading into the race. He has assiduously courted evangelicals and other social conservatives as part of an attempt to build a coalition of conservatives frustrated with Republican Party elders in Washington. | Cruz is scheduled to give the convocation at Liberty University on Monday. By selecting the school, a private Christian college founded by fundamentalist preacher Jerry Falwell, as the site for his announcement, Cruz is also sending a clear signal to conservative Republican primary voters about his candidacy and his political positioning heading into the race. He has assiduously courted evangelicals and other social conservatives as part of an attempt to build a coalition of conservatives frustrated with Republican Party elders in Washington. |
| The choice of venue also underscores Cruz’s move to actively court young conservatives. Last month he told a group of mostly 20- and 30-somethings at CPAC to be “entrepreneurs for liberty” and spread his message of conservatism with a smile. | The choice of venue also underscores Cruz’s move to actively court young conservatives. Last month he told a group of mostly 20- and 30-somethings at CPAC to be “entrepreneurs for liberty” and spread his message of conservatism with a smile. |
| “If we carry young people, we can turn this entire country around,” he said. | “If we carry young people, we can turn this entire country around,” he said. |
| A Cruz aide said the campaign chose to announce at Liberty because it is the largest Christian university in the world and has a large, active activist alumni base — many of whom live in Cruz’s home state of Texas. | A Cruz aide said the campaign chose to announce at Liberty because it is the largest Christian university in the world and has a large, active activist alumni base — many of whom live in Cruz’s home state of Texas. |
| “Liberty enforces a strong message that taking a stand for what is right speaks volumes about character,” said the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment ahead of Cruz’s remarks in Lynchburg. The aide didn’t want to speak publicly before the announcement. Making the announcement there sends a message that the campaign will compete in the race for evangelicals and social conservatives and not run a conventional operation, the aide said. | |
| When Cruz appeared before an enthusiastic crowd at Liberty last year, he spoke urgently about what he sees as a moment of crisis for religious Americans — and received a standing ovation. | When Cruz appeared before an enthusiastic crowd at Liberty last year, he spoke urgently about what he sees as a moment of crisis for religious Americans — and received a standing ovation. |
| “These are troubled times,” Cruz said. “Religious liberty, the very first liberty in the Bill of Rights, the very first protection we have, has never been more in peril than it is right now.” | “These are troubled times,” Cruz said. “Religious liberty, the very first liberty in the Bill of Rights, the very first protection we have, has never been more in peril than it is right now.” |
| [Here’s what we know about Ted Cruz’s faith] | [Here’s what we know about Ted Cruz’s faith] |
| Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an influential figure in hi state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, said in an interview that he welcomed Cruz’s move toward a run and called him an immediately formidable candidate in the state, which has a deeply conservative Republican electorate. | Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an influential figure in hi state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, said in an interview that he welcomed Cruz’s move toward a run and called him an immediately formidable candidate in the state, which has a deeply conservative Republican electorate. |
| “Constitutional conservatives around the country see he is anchored in a fundamental set of values,” King said. “There is also no question he is a very smart man, and a lot of presidents did not have his raw computing power.” | “Constitutional conservatives around the country see he is anchored in a fundamental set of values,” King said. “There is also no question he is a very smart man, and a lot of presidents did not have his raw computing power.” |
| Cruz, who lives in Houston with his wife, Heidi, and two young daughters, graduated from Princeton University in 1992 and from Harvard Law School in 1995. He went on to serve as a lawyer in the George W. Bush administration and later was appointed Texas solicitor general. | Cruz, who lives in Houston with his wife, Heidi, and two young daughters, graduated from Princeton University in 1992 and from Harvard Law School in 1995. He went on to serve as a lawyer in the George W. Bush administration and later was appointed Texas solicitor general. |
| Heidi Cruz, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, will take a leave of absence from her job to campaign with her husband, according to a campaign adviser. | Heidi Cruz, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, will take a leave of absence from her job to campaign with her husband, according to a campaign adviser. |
| In 2012, after working in private practice, Cruz rattled the Texas Republican establishment when he beat the then-lieutenant governor, wealthy businessman David Dewhurst, in the state’s GOP Senate primary. His primary campaign was aggressively conservative and suspicious of the GOP’s mainstream voices, and it was cheered on by conservative leaders and editorialists in Texas and nationally. | In 2012, after working in private practice, Cruz rattled the Texas Republican establishment when he beat the then-lieutenant governor, wealthy businessman David Dewhurst, in the state’s GOP Senate primary. His primary campaign was aggressively conservative and suspicious of the GOP’s mainstream voices, and it was cheered on by conservative leaders and editorialists in Texas and nationally. |
| Cruz’s father, Rafael, left Cuba in 1957. Now a Christian minister, the elder Cruz frequently travels with his son to political events, building relationships with conservative pastors and occasionally introducing Cruz to crowds. | Cruz’s father, Rafael, left Cuba in 1957. Now a Christian minister, the elder Cruz frequently travels with his son to political events, building relationships with conservative pastors and occasionally introducing Cruz to crowds. |
| Other expected GOP candidates are mulling exploratory committees this month with an eye on formalizing their campaigns in April, once a new federal filing period for political financing begins. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a friend of Cruz’s and another conservative favorite, is planning a rally in Louisville early next month. | Other expected GOP candidates are mulling exploratory committees this month with an eye on formalizing their campaigns in April, once a new federal filing period for political financing begins. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a friend of Cruz’s and another conservative favorite, is planning a rally in Louisville early next month. |
| On fundraising — a front where Jeb Bush especially has been making significant strides in recent weeks — Cruz would be able to draw from the sprawling grass-roots army that has boosted him since he arrived in Congress. Some major donors also are ready to assist him, such as investor Hal Lambert, who founded Dallas-based Point Bridge Capital. | |
| “Ted Cruz and Rand Paul don’t need to raise as much money as somebody else, if you would, to be contenders, because they have strong organizational situations,” Jack Oliver, a top Bush financier, said in a December interview with Bloomberg News. | “Ted Cruz and Rand Paul don’t need to raise as much money as somebody else, if you would, to be contenders, because they have strong organizational situations,” Jack Oliver, a top Bush financier, said in a December interview with Bloomberg News. |
| Cruz supports fewer restrictions on campaign spending and is a backer of the 2010 Citizens United decision, which laid the groundwork for super PACs that can raise unlimited sums. | Cruz supports fewer restrictions on campaign spending and is a backer of the 2010 Citizens United decision, which laid the groundwork for super PACs that can raise unlimited sums. |
| “Money absolutely can be speech,” Cruz said last week in New Hampshire. | “Money absolutely can be speech,” Cruz said last week in New Hampshire. |
| On Capitol Hill, Cruz has clashed repeatedly with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and at times angered his Republican colleagues for what some consider his brash manner and ideological zeal. Some have referred to him as a gadfly; Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) once called Cruz and his political associates “wacko birds.” | On Capitol Hill, Cruz has clashed repeatedly with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and at times angered his Republican colleagues for what some consider his brash manner and ideological zeal. Some have referred to him as a gadfly; Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) once called Cruz and his political associates “wacko birds.” |
| Earlier this year, Cruz targeted GOP leaders in both congressional chambers, accusing them of not doing enough to counter Obama’s executive actions on immigration. In recent days, he has vocally opposed Loretta Lynch’s nomination for attorney general and signed a letter by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) cautioning the ruling Iranian regime against working with Obama on a nuclear deal. | Earlier this year, Cruz targeted GOP leaders in both congressional chambers, accusing them of not doing enough to counter Obama’s executive actions on immigration. In recent days, he has vocally opposed Loretta Lynch’s nomination for attorney general and signed a letter by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) cautioning the ruling Iranian regime against working with Obama on a nuclear deal. |
| Allies of Cruz’s likely competitors view him as a threat, in particular those Republicans who are wooing the same conservative voters and donors as Cruz. Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.) and former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) are three of more than a dozen possible hopefuls who are looking to be the hard right’s consensus choice. | Allies of Cruz’s likely competitors view him as a threat, in particular those Republicans who are wooing the same conservative voters and donors as Cruz. Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.) and former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) are three of more than a dozen possible hopefuls who are looking to be the hard right’s consensus choice. |
| Cruz will probably not be the only Texan to seek the GOP nomination. Former Texas governor Rick Perry also is considering a bid. In an interview with The Washington Post last month, he jabbed Obama and took a veiled shot at Cruz when he said voters are “going to make a rather radical shift away from a young, untested United States senator whose policies have really failed.” | Cruz will probably not be the only Texan to seek the GOP nomination. Former Texas governor Rick Perry also is considering a bid. In an interview with The Washington Post last month, he jabbed Obama and took a veiled shot at Cruz when he said voters are “going to make a rather radical shift away from a young, untested United States senator whose policies have really failed.” |
| Polls find Cruz running far behind other GOP hopefuls, despite fairly wide name recognition and a positive image overall among Republicans. A CNN/ORC poll released last week found 4 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents supporting Cruz for the nomination, tying him with Perry in eighth place. Cruz is eclipsed in national and early-state polls by former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who would be a direct competitor for the party’s social conservatives. Still, only a dozen percentage points separate Cruz from Bush in a crowded field in which no candidate has broken away. | |
| A Gallup poll this month found 43 percent of Republicans with a favorable impression of Cruz, while 13 percent were unfavorable and the rest had no opinion. Cruz’s image on this basic measure of popularity is roughly similar to top contenders Bush and Walker. | |
| [Cruz starting with less support than anyone since Bill Clinton] | |
| Cruz’s foreign policy views are mostly hawkish. He has acknowledged in interviews that many Americans have become war weary, and he has raised concerns about the National Security Agency’s collection of phone records. But he has also been a near-daily critic of Obama’s leadership in foreign affairs and said he would consider sending U.S. troops to fight Islamic State militants. | Cruz’s foreign policy views are mostly hawkish. He has acknowledged in interviews that many Americans have become war weary, and he has raised concerns about the National Security Agency’s collection of phone records. But he has also been a near-daily critic of Obama’s leadership in foreign affairs and said he would consider sending U.S. troops to fight Islamic State militants. |
| Cruz’s early popularity in Iowa, which has long been a make-or-break state for conservative Republican presidential candidates, was highlighted in January when he spoke at a King-hosted summit in Des Moines. He got a rock-star reception as he railed against “Obamacare” and called for the Internal Revenue Service to be abolished. | Cruz’s early popularity in Iowa, which has long been a make-or-break state for conservative Republican presidential candidates, was highlighted in January when he spoke at a King-hosted summit in Des Moines. He got a rock-star reception as he railed against “Obamacare” and called for the Internal Revenue Service to be abolished. |
| Cruz does not believe in climate change and has said that data does not support it. Cruz chairs the Senate committee that oversees NASA and has said that the agency needs to focus more on space exploration and less on Earth science. | Cruz does not believe in climate change and has said that data does not support it. Cruz chairs the Senate committee that oversees NASA and has said that the agency needs to focus more on space exploration and less on Earth science. |
| As reaction to Cruz’s announcement made its way around the Sunday news shows, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said Cruz’s stance on climate change makes him unqualified to run for office. | As reaction to Cruz’s announcement made its way around the Sunday news shows, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said Cruz’s stance on climate change makes him unqualified to run for office. |
| “That man betokens such a level of ignorance and a direct falsification of the existing scientific data,” Brown said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It’s shocking, and I think that man has rendered himself absolutely unfit to be running for office.” | “That man betokens such a level of ignorance and a direct falsification of the existing scientific data,” Brown said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It’s shocking, and I think that man has rendered himself absolutely unfit to be running for office.” |
| In June, Cruz will publish his first book, “A Time for Truth: Reigniting the Miracle of America.” Similar to John F. Kennedy’s “Profiles in Courage,” it will feature chapters on leaders who he believes have shown grit in spite of adversity, such as Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. | In June, Cruz will publish his first book, “A Time for Truth: Reigniting the Miracle of America.” Similar to John F. Kennedy’s “Profiles in Courage,” it will feature chapters on leaders who he believes have shown grit in spite of adversity, such as Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. |
| Cruz’s speaking style sets him apart from most lectern-using politicians. At almost every appearance, he prefers to pace a stage wearing a wireless microphone, mixing wry barbs about Democrats with forceful warnings about what he describes as encroaching liberalism from the culture and federal government. | Cruz’s speaking style sets him apart from most lectern-using politicians. At almost every appearance, he prefers to pace a stage wearing a wireless microphone, mixing wry barbs about Democrats with forceful warnings about what he describes as encroaching liberalism from the culture and federal government. |
| Cruz’s pitch can border on apocalyptic. “The Obama economy is a disaster, Obamacare is a train wreck and the Obama-Clinton foreign policy of leading from behind — the whole world is on fire,” he said over the weekend in New Hampshire, which hosts the first presidential primary. | Cruz’s pitch can border on apocalyptic. “The Obama economy is a disaster, Obamacare is a train wreck and the Obama-Clinton foreign policy of leading from behind — the whole world is on fire,” he said over the weekend in New Hampshire, which hosts the first presidential primary. |
| Cruz’s description of a globe ablaze caused Julie Trant, 3, to wonder aloud from the audience whether the world is actually on fire — a startled reaction that drew smiles among adults there and jokes from late-night comedians. Cruz later appeared Monday on NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and shrugged off the blizzard of news stories about the episode. | Cruz’s description of a globe ablaze caused Julie Trant, 3, to wonder aloud from the audience whether the world is actually on fire — a startled reaction that drew smiles among adults there and jokes from late-night comedians. Cruz later appeared Monday on NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and shrugged off the blizzard of news stories about the episode. |
| Speaking Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Cruz sounded wearied by the coverage and criticized the way he has been portrayed. “By the end of it, I’m Freddy Krueger-like, torturing this girl in her nightmare,” he said. | Speaking Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Cruz sounded wearied by the coverage and criticized the way he has been portrayed. “By the end of it, I’m Freddy Krueger-like, torturing this girl in her nightmare,” he said. |
| Scott Clement and Hunter Schwarz contributed to this report. |