Ted Cruz | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| United States Senator from Texas | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 Serving with John Cornyn | |
| Preceded by | Kay Bailey Hutchison |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Roger Wicker |
| 3rd Solicitor General of Texas | |
| In office January 9, 2003 – May 12, 2008 | |
| Appointed by | Greg Abbott |
| Preceded by | Julie Parsley |
| Succeeded by | James C. Ho |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rafael Edward Cruz December 22, 1970 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Citizenship |
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| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Rafael Cruz Eleanor Elizabeth Darragh |
| Education | |
| Occupation |
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| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate office |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in the United States |
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Rafael Edward Cruz (/kruːz/; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 to 2008.
After graduating from Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Cruz pursued a career in politics, eventually serving as a policy advisor in the George W. Bush administration. In 2003, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott appointed Cruz to serve as Solicitor General, a position he held through 2008. Cruz was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, becoming the first Hispanic-American to serve as a U.S. senator from Texas.[2] In the Senate, he has taken consistently conservative positions on economic and social policy. He played a leading role in the 2013 United States federal government shutdown, seeking to force Congress and President Barack Obama to defund the Affordable Care Act. Cruz was reelected in a close race in 2018 against Democratic nominee Beto O'Rourke and decisively won a third term in 2024 against Congressman Colin Allred.
In 2016, Cruz sought the Republican presidential nomination, emerging as a serious competitor to front-runner Donald Trump in a primary marked by intense, often personal, exchanges. Cruz initially withheld his endorsement after Trump secured the nomination, but became a strong supporter during Trump's first term. In 2021, Cruz objected to the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
- ^ Croucher, Shane (January 9, 2016). "It's official: Ted Cruz a citizen of the U.S. - and the U.S. only". Newsweek. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Cruz Sworn-In As First Hispanic Texas U.S. Senator". KRWG. January 3, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2022.