Ted Cruz Presidential Bid Hits Twitter, Replies Fly In

This morning the Ted Cruz presidential bid arrived on Twitter before hitting mainstream media. In under 140 characters Ted Cruz announced that he will run for President in 2016, marking the first confirmed presidential candidate for the elections next year.

Ted Cruz is a Republican, now a junior United States Senator from Taxes. Elected in 2012, Cruz is the Chairman of the Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and the chairman of the Space, Science, and Competitiveness, subcommittee.

Over the weekend anticipation picked up for a Ted Cruz presidential run announcement and this morning in a tweet with a 30 second video Ted Cruz announced his run for president.

I'm running for President and I hope to earn your support! pic.twitter.com/0UTqaIoytP

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 23, 2015

In the 30 second video Ted Cruz invites Americans to, “rise to the challenge,” calling for a “new generation of courageous conservatives to help make America great again.” Cruz is ready to “lead the fight.”

Cruz is known for his stance against Net Neutrality and against the exploration of climate change by NASA and for his stance against President Obama’s health care legislation.

Shortly after announcing his presidential bid, Cruz outlined his platform in a series of tweets that outline his stance on health insurance, the IRS, first amendment rights, second amendment rights and Israel Palestine. If you aren’t already familiar, here is a look at Ted Cruz’s stance on important issues.

Five years ago today, the President signed Obamacare into law. Imagine in 2017, a new president signing a #FullRepeal of it!

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 23, 2015

Imagine abolishing the IRS! #MakeDCListen

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 23, 2015

Imagine a federal government that stands for the First Amendment rights of every American!

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 23, 2015

Imagine a federal government that stands for the First Amendment rights of every American!

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 23, 2015

Instead of a president who boycotts PM @netanyahu, imagine a president who stands unapologetically with the nation of Israel!

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 23, 2015

Using Twitter to connect with voters and constituents is nothing new, and Cruz used the service to announce his candidacy and to outline what he stands for directly to the many voters on Twitter. President Obama and many other political officials use the service to connect with the American public.

So far Ted Cruz did not reply to any tweets since announcing his presidential run, but there are thousands of favorites and retweets of his announcement and of his policy announcements. Twitter users replied in force to congratulate and thank Cruz — and to mock or complain. It shouldn’t come as a surprise after years of birther complaints against Obama that there is now a Ted Cruz birther movement, although this time around there is a different complaint.

Tweets about @tedcruz

Ted Cruz was born in Canada to a U.S. citizen, which makes him a U.S. citizen, but some argue that he is not a “natural-born citizen” as the law requires. The Washington Post provides an excellent breakdown of the issue at hand. That didn’t stop users on Twitter from calling out his birth status, which will likely spur a new round of email forwards to hit your inbox about the truth of Ted Cruz’s citizenship. Here are a few of the Cruz birther tweets to let you see what you can expect more of in the next year.

@tedcruz you weren't even born in America bro

— Caroline ✨ (@carolinecafasso) March 23, 2015

I hope they give @tedcruz @SenTedCruz as much hell as they did Obama since Ted was 100% born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada!

— Daniel Fishel (@o_fishel) March 23, 2015

Will @tedcruz produce a copy of his birth certificate to prove once and for all that he is not Andy Kaufman in disguise?

— Chris Newman (@newman_chris) March 23, 2015

@tedcruz you were born in Calgary Alberta Canada and demand Obama birth certificate. His says Hawaii……produce or STFU!

— Roy Poteete (@roast9510) March 23, 2015

@tedcruz show us your long form USA birth certificate

— Lynda (@Spady) March 23, 2015

Although the scenario has yet to be tested in courts, most experts agree that even if a candidate is born outside the U.S. they will qualify, so long as they are born to a U.S. Citizen.