And they’re off. Around midnight last night, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced over Twitter that he will officially be running for President in 2016. The tweet was accompanied by a short video stating that America has lost its way and needs strong leadership to get back on track. With his announcement, Senator Cruz becomes the first candidate in either party to officially enter the Presidential race. His campaign’s Twitter account explained that Cruz announced on March 23 because that is the date that President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law back in 2010. This announcement will trigger new campaign finance restrictions, but it will also allow Senator Cruz to get out on the campaign trail ahead of the other GOP contenders and start winning voters.
To do that, he’s going to need all the time he can get. His staunch opposition to funding Obamacare in the fall of 2013 is viewed by many as responsible for shutting down the federal government, and his unwavering dedication to his conservative principles has made him an enemy of not just the Democratic Party but much of the Republican Party as well. To win the White House, Cruz will need to win both the Republican nomination and then the general election, presumably against Hillary Clinton. Both will prove to be significant challenges for the first-term Senator who many view as nothing more than ideological obstructionist. By the way, this criticism is coming from a conservative Texan that voted for Cruz in 2012.
The art of politics is not just about being right, but about convincing people that you’re right. On many issues, I do believe that Senator Cruz is right. However, he has a terrible track record of convincing Americans of his point of view, and, consequently, many Americans are turned off to conservative principles and policies. As Charlie Cooke opined in a recent National Review piece, Cruz has a tendency to come across as a bit of a Joel Osteen-esque motivational speaker that lectures at us rather than just talking with us. I have no doubt that Cruz genuinely believes what he says, but he often sounds like he is giving a carefully crafted political message rather than simply having a conversation with American voters.
Of course, the media hasn’t exactly given him the benefit of the doubt, but no smart Republican would ever count on the media being friendly to them. To have a chance at winning the Republican nomination, Senator Cruz will have to unite a coalition of Tea Party members, libertarians, and social conservatives that is big enough to outlast the strong establishment and moderate coalition behind Jeb Bush. He will have to compete with Rand Paul for the libertarian vote and with a plethora of other candidates for social conservatives and the Tea Party. The sheer number of Republican candidates will make it very difficult to put together the coalition that he needs. He will then have to convince these voters that he can win the general election, an altogether different battle than winning a Senate election in Texas.
Cruz will also face endless questions about his qualifications to be President. By qualifications, I don’t echo the criticism of Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA) who said that Cruz was too unintelligent to be President. Cruz holds degrees from both Princeton and Harvard and is widely regarded as an incredibly talented attorney. On the other hand, Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) was criticized by Howard Dean as unintelligent because he didn’t complete his bachelor’s degree, but as we’re now seeing, even degrees from two Ivy League schools won’t stop some from calling a Republican stupid simply because they are a Republican. No, my criticism is of his short tenure in office. Cruz was elected to the Senate in 2012 and has only served a little of two years in the US Congress, the same legislative experience that Barack Obama had when he decided to run for President. Conservatives have repeatedly accused President Obama for being incompetent and ill-prepared to be President, so why would they nominate someone with the same amount of experience? Senator Cruz also served as Solicitor General of Texas, but Republican voters will surely hesitate to vote for a candidate that they fear has not served in high office long enough to be a competent President.
For all of his challenges, Ted Cruz has two assets that he must leverage if he is to have a chance at winning: he is charismatic and he is a Washington-outsider. As someone that has met Senator Cruz, I can confidently say that he is one of the most likable people that I have ever met. Back in October 2014, he attended the William F. Buckley Prize Dinner hosted by the National Review Institute where I serve as the Special Projects Manager. Most high-profile attendees would probably prefer to avoid talking to big crowds, but Cruz talked to almost every one of the 350 people in the room. When I spoke with him, he asked where I went to high school in Texas and chatted with me about some of the good restaurants in my hometown. Although I voted for him and agree with him on many key issues, I was skeptical that his tactics were the best way to advance the conservative principles I believe in. Now that I’ve met him, however, I have a much better understanding of his disdain for just going along with the flow in Washington DC. Cruz isn’t afraid to vote against the Republican Senate leadership if he believes they are making a mistake, and in many ways, his track record represents the very kind of post-partisan politics that many Americans long for.
If he can use his charming personality to convince voters that he is not a hyper-partisan but a non-partisan voting for what he believes is best for all Americans, then Cruz can begin to change his public image. To win the GOP nomination and then the Presidency, Senator Cruz must convince voters that he is a Reagan and not an Obama. If he doesn’t, then his road to the White House won’t manage to get out of Texas.
John Kurtz is the President of Student PAC at NYU.
To do that, he’s going to need all the time he can get. His staunch opposition to funding Obamacare in the fall of 2013 is viewed by many as responsible for shutting down the federal government, and his unwavering dedication to his conservative principles has made him an enemy of not just the Democratic Party but much of the Republican Party as well. To win the White House, Cruz will need to win both the Republican nomination and then the general election, presumably against Hillary Clinton. Both will prove to be significant challenges for the first-term Senator who many view as nothing more than ideological obstructionist. By the way, this criticism is coming from a conservative Texan that voted for Cruz in 2012.
The art of politics is not just about being right, but about convincing people that you’re right. On many issues, I do believe that Senator Cruz is right. However, he has a terrible track record of convincing Americans of his point of view, and, consequently, many Americans are turned off to conservative principles and policies. As Charlie Cooke opined in a recent National Review piece, Cruz has a tendency to come across as a bit of a Joel Osteen-esque motivational speaker that lectures at us rather than just talking with us. I have no doubt that Cruz genuinely believes what he says, but he often sounds like he is giving a carefully crafted political message rather than simply having a conversation with American voters.
Of course, the media hasn’t exactly given him the benefit of the doubt, but no smart Republican would ever count on the media being friendly to them. To have a chance at winning the Republican nomination, Senator Cruz will have to unite a coalition of Tea Party members, libertarians, and social conservatives that is big enough to outlast the strong establishment and moderate coalition behind Jeb Bush. He will have to compete with Rand Paul for the libertarian vote and with a plethora of other candidates for social conservatives and the Tea Party. The sheer number of Republican candidates will make it very difficult to put together the coalition that he needs. He will then have to convince these voters that he can win the general election, an altogether different battle than winning a Senate election in Texas.
Cruz will also face endless questions about his qualifications to be President. By qualifications, I don’t echo the criticism of Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA) who said that Cruz was too unintelligent to be President. Cruz holds degrees from both Princeton and Harvard and is widely regarded as an incredibly talented attorney. On the other hand, Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) was criticized by Howard Dean as unintelligent because he didn’t complete his bachelor’s degree, but as we’re now seeing, even degrees from two Ivy League schools won’t stop some from calling a Republican stupid simply because they are a Republican. No, my criticism is of his short tenure in office. Cruz was elected to the Senate in 2012 and has only served a little of two years in the US Congress, the same legislative experience that Barack Obama had when he decided to run for President. Conservatives have repeatedly accused President Obama for being incompetent and ill-prepared to be President, so why would they nominate someone with the same amount of experience? Senator Cruz also served as Solicitor General of Texas, but Republican voters will surely hesitate to vote for a candidate that they fear has not served in high office long enough to be a competent President.
For all of his challenges, Ted Cruz has two assets that he must leverage if he is to have a chance at winning: he is charismatic and he is a Washington-outsider. As someone that has met Senator Cruz, I can confidently say that he is one of the most likable people that I have ever met. Back in October 2014, he attended the William F. Buckley Prize Dinner hosted by the National Review Institute where I serve as the Special Projects Manager. Most high-profile attendees would probably prefer to avoid talking to big crowds, but Cruz talked to almost every one of the 350 people in the room. When I spoke with him, he asked where I went to high school in Texas and chatted with me about some of the good restaurants in my hometown. Although I voted for him and agree with him on many key issues, I was skeptical that his tactics were the best way to advance the conservative principles I believe in. Now that I’ve met him, however, I have a much better understanding of his disdain for just going along with the flow in Washington DC. Cruz isn’t afraid to vote against the Republican Senate leadership if he believes they are making a mistake, and in many ways, his track record represents the very kind of post-partisan politics that many Americans long for.
If he can use his charming personality to convince voters that he is not a hyper-partisan but a non-partisan voting for what he believes is best for all Americans, then Cruz can begin to change his public image. To win the GOP nomination and then the Presidency, Senator Cruz must convince voters that he is a Reagan and not an Obama. If he doesn’t, then his road to the White House won’t manage to get out of Texas.
John Kurtz is the President of Student PAC at NYU.