Raphael Edward, or Ted, Cruz was born on December 22, 1970 in Canada. He graduated from Princeton University in 1992, and Harvard Law School in 1995. Cruz clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist in 1996, and served as a Policy Advisor on George Bush’s 2000 election campaign. Between 1999 and 2003 Cruz worked at the Federal Trade Commission, which ensures truth in advertising. From 2003 to 2008, Cruz was the Solicitor General of Texas, meaning that he was the state government’s lawyer in cases involving state policy.

Cruz was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, but in 2013 people had just started taking notice of him after he assumed office on January 3, because of his outspokenness in defending his political views. Cruz was the first to officially announce that he was in the running for President this year. Because of this, he was immediately attacked from different senators and governors.As news spread across the country that Cruz was running, it put presidential polls into a frenzy. Some might say that Cruz would be a much better President than Obama himself, some saying how even Hillary Clinton herself cannot beat him. In the early stages of the race Donald Trump himself stated that Ted Cruz would make a fine President, even though he was born in Canada, and that he should be eligible to run. Now that he has won the Iowa Caucuses, he has drawn a lot of criticism from Trump and others who are eager to slow his momentum.

Ted Cruz has been doing his research on the law and how his beliefs differ than other candidates. Cruz is pro-life and believes abortion should only be allowed during the procedure if the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life. He also opposes same-sex marriage laws. Though he believes that same-sex should be left to the state to decide, he personally thinks that marriage should be restricted to one male and one female.

Political Platform

• Opposes the legalization of marijuana
• Favors the death penalty
• Opposed to raising the minimum wage
• Opposed to net neutrality