U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, looks increasingly like he will enter the 2016 presidential contest, even as he gets ready to hit Florida, home state of two other likely Republican candidates: former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Cruz appeared on ABC News‘ “This Week” on Sunday and said he was looking at running in 2016 and stressed his disagreement with Bush on immigration, even as he offered him some kind words.
“Jeb Bush is a good man,” Cruz said. “He’s a good governor. I respect him
“If he chooses to run, it certainly looks like he’s going to, he’s going to have to make the case to Republican primary voters concerning his record, concerning certainly his support for Common Core, concerning his policies on immigration. And I think we’ll have a debate on that,” Cruz added. “But at the end of the day, I think Republicans are looking for a leader. What I would urge every Republican thinking about running to do, and this is true of senators, of governors – stand up and lead. I’d be thrilled if six months from now we have a half-dozen Republicans standing and leading and making the case that there is a better way we can get back to the free-market principles and constitutional liberties that built this country and made this country a shining city on a hill.”
During his appearance on “This Week,” Cruz stressed his opposition to President Barack Obama’s relaxation of immigration laws and the administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Cruz will be hitting Florida later this month when he keynotes the Duval County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner in Jacksonville on Feb. 20 and then will be at the Club for Growth’s meeting in the Sunshine State at the end of the month. In March, Cruz is set to hit Iowa, home of the first caucus, and New Hampshire which hosts the first primary.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
