Cruz, Ted (1970-…), became a United States senator in 2013. Cruz, a Republican, represents Texas. Prior to his election as senator, Cruz had served as a lawyer in private practice and as solicitor general of Texas. A solicitor general is the chief lawyer for a state.
Early life and career.
Rafael Edward Cruz was born on Dec. 22, 1970, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His parents—a Cuban father and an American mother—had met while attending the University of Texas and were working in the oil business in Canada. Cruz’s family returned to Texas when Ted was young. Cruz’s father, Rafael Cruz, had immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1957. In Cuba, Rafael Cruz had fought in the early days of the revolution that overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar.
Ted Cruz earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 1992. He won numerous debating awards while attending the school. Cruz received a degree from Harvard Law School in 1995. In 1996 and 1997, Cruz served as a law clerk for William Rehnquist, at that time the chief justice of the United States.
Senator and presidential candidate.
From 2003 to 2008, Cruz served as solicitor general of Texas. Cruz also taught several law classes. He later worked as an attorney for a private Houston law firm. During his career, Cruz has argued nine cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. As a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Cruz supported strongly conservative positions on such issues as abortion, gun control, school prayer, and business regulation. He won the support of groups associated with the conservative tea party movement. As a senator, Cruz gained attention for his outspoken opposition to the Affordable Care Act, the health insurance reform law popularly known as Obamacare.
In March 2015, Cruz announced that he would seek his party’s nomination for president in 2016. The announcement drew attention to the details of Cruz’s citizenship, because being a “natural-born citizen” is a requirement for anyone seeking the U.S. presidency. Cruz had earned dual American and Canadian citizenship as a result of being born in Canada to a parent who was a United States citizen. Most constitutional scholars believe that a person born abroad to American parents would be considered a natural-born citizen and thus would be eligible to serve as president of the United States. Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2013.
Cruz ran a strong campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, winning a number of state contests. He suspended his campaign in May, however, following a string of losses to businessman Donald J. Trump. Trump became the party’s official presidential nominee in July and won the general election in November. In 2018, Cruz campaigned for reelection to the Senate. He defeated his Democratic opponent, U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke, in the November election.
Cruz has written several books. They include A Time for Truth: Reigniting the Promise of America (2015); One Vote Away: How a Single Supreme Court Seat Can Change History (2020); and Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System (2022).
