In a midnight tweet, Ted Cruz became one of the first officially announced presidential candidates for 2016. At 12:00am last night, Cruz sent out a thirty second video to his Twitter followers declaring his decision to run. In the video, he stated, “I am ready to stand with you to lead the fight.”
The following morning, Cruz released another, slightly longer ad, that includes his brief biography and political record. The longer ad introduces Cruz as the son of a Cuban immigrant who fled communism and a woman who pioneered in computer science when it was even moreso a male-dominated field. It also mentions his 2013 battle to stop Obamacare, which resulted in a government shutdown. Cruz and his followers were determined to defund Obamacare, while the Democrats tried to make it impossible to pass a budget that didn’t include funding for Obamacare. This type of battle is a trademark of Cruz’s methodology. He isn’t one to back down from his beliefs, to compromise, or to give in. Cruz has consistently and reliably stuck to his ideas, and is known for using the Democrats’ strategies in congress against them.
This ad also features a shot of Cruz and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu shaking hands.
Cruz declared his candidacy months earlier than is traditional, perhaps in the hopes of becoming an early frontrunner by easily picking up support before he has competitors. At the same time, announcing his candidacy earlier allows voters plenty of time to familiarize themselves with Cruz and his policies. Knowing who the candidates will be early on in the race affords voters and the candidates the ability to determine a frontrunner early on, maintain a more peaceful primary, and prevent surprises later in the race.