Ted Cruz: United States Senator from Texas since 2013

He is the first person of Cuban, Hispanic, or Latino descent to hold the office. He ran for President as a Republican in 2016.

Ted Cruz
Official portrait, 2019
United States Senator from Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013 Serving with John Cornyn
Preceded by	Kay Bailey Hutchison
Solicitor General of Texas
In office January 9, 2003 – May 12, 2008
Governor	Rick Perry
Preceded by	Julie Parsley
Succeeded by	James Ho
Personal details
Born	Rafael Edward Cruz, Jr. (1970-12-22) December 22, 1970 (age 53) Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Heidi Nelson (m. 2001)
Children	2
Residence	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	Princeton University (A.B.) (1992) (cum laude) Harvard University (J.D.) (1995) (magna cum laude)
Website	Ted Cruz for Senate Senator Ted Cruz

Cruz's parents are a Cuban father, Rafael Cruz, and an American mother, Eleanor Darragh. He was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His parents, who worked in the oil business at the time, were in Calgary on business. He started using the name Ted when he was thirteen years old. Cruz graduated from Second Baptist High School as a valedictorian. He then went to Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

Cruz was the domestic policy advisor to U.S. President George W. Bush on the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign. He helped defend them in the case Bush v. Gore. He also recruited future Chief Justice John Roberts to Bush's legal team.

He served as Solicitor General of Texas from 2003 to May 2008, after being appointed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. He was the first Hispanic, the youngest and the longest-serving solicitor general in Texas history. Cruz was also an adjunct professor of law at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, from 2004 to 2009. While there, he taught U.S. Supreme Court litigation. Cruz is one of three Latinos in the Senate; the others—also Americans of Cuban ancestry—are fellow Republican Marco Rubio of Florida and Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey.

Cruz was the Republican nominee for the Senate seat vacated by fellow Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison. On July 31, 2012, he defeated Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst in the Republican primary runoff, 57%–43%. Cruz defeated former state Representative Paul Sadler in the general election on November 6, 2012. He won to 56%–41% over Sadler. Cruz openly identifies with the Tea Party movement and has been endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus.

On November 14, 2012, Cruz was appointed vice-chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Cruz has been a leading opponent of Barack Obama's healthcare reform plan known as Obamacare. He has led efforts to repeal the law, including a filibuster in 2013.

On March 23, 2015, Cruz announced he would run for the Republican Party nomination in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. He made his announcement at Liberty University.

On February 1, 2016, Cruz won the first primary state of Iowa, beating Donald Trump and Marco Rubio. This made him the first Hispanic person to win a caucus. Cruz then won Alaska, Texas, and Oklahoma on "Super Tuesday". He got the most votes in all of the 254 Texas counties except six. On April 27, 2016, Cruz named former GOP candidate and businesswoman Carly Fiorina as his running mate.

On May 3, 2016, after losing the Indiana primaries to Donald Trump, Cruz suspended his campaign.

He married Heidi Nelson on May 27, 2001. They have two daughters named Caroline and Catherine.

Cruz is a Southern Baptist.