Ted Cruz
Bio |
Ted Cruz studied public policy at Princeton University and earned his J.D. from Harvard University. He previously served as Solicitor General of Texas and is currently a U.S. Senator from Texas. |
Status and Position |
Current US Senator of Texas |
Political Party and Jurisdiction |
Republican, Texas |
Elections |
Election Jurisdiction |
Started Campaign |
Campaign Status |
Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2024 Senate Election Texas 2 | Texas 2 | No | N/A | N/A |
Campaign Financing |
Almost eighty percent of Ted Cruz's campaign financing comes from small and large individual contributions. The top contribution comes from the Senate Conservative Fund. |
Voting Rights |
He does not yet have a clear stance on voting rights. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues |
Stance |
Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | Against | He opposes universal healthcare. Cruz does not believe that health care should be managed by the government. He would like the free market to dictate the health care system. |
| Socialized Healthcare | Against | He is unsupportive of socialized healthcare. |
| Private Healthcare | For | He argues that private entities would create competitive pricing and more choices. |
| LGBT Rights | Against | He does not promote LGBT rights. Cruz maintains the belief that sexual orientation is a choice. He opposes gay marriage and civil unions. |
| Taxes | Against | He is against taxes. Cruz sees taxes as an overreach of American government. He advocates for a 10% flat income tax rate. He would like to abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). |
| Flat Tax Rate | For | Cruz's tax plan involves a 10% flat tax rate. Cruz sees taxes as an overreach of American government. He advocates for a 10% flat income tax rate. He would like to abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). |
| Abortion | Against | He is pro-life. Cruz believes that the sanctity of life should be held as a high priority. He has been endorsed by Texas Right to Life, a pro-life advocacy group. |
| Gun Control | Against | He opposes gun control legislation. Cruz stands behind the Second Amendment. As a "constitutional conservative," he sees this freedom as non-negotiable. |
| Assisted Suicide | Against | Cruz is not in favor of patient-assisted suicide. Cruz stands behind the Second Amendment. As a "constitutional conservative," he sees this freedom as non-negotiable. |
| Government Interference | Against | Cruz would like to eliminate the Department of Education, Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development in order to limit the control the government has. |
| Planned Parenthood | Against | He is pro-life. |
| Welfare | Against | He opposes government spending in the form of welfare programs. Cruz is a proponent of free markets without government intervention. He thus sees welfare as an overreach of the federal government. |
| Welfare | Unknown | He does not yet have a public stance on this issue. |
| Death Penalty | For | He advocates for capital punishment. Cruz has been vocal in his support of the death penalty, especially in his home state of Texas. He even stated his disapproval of the pope's stance against the death penalty. |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Against | Cruz has helped introduce legislation to bring down mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenders. |
| Military Spending | For | He is supportive of increased military spending. |
| War on Terrorism | For | Cruz argues that a strong US military presence internationally is crucial for national security interests. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | For | He supports international interaction. Cruz is a vocal advocate of free trade. He sees lower trade barriers as a means of increasing the potential of domestic exports and imports at home. He believes this leads to greater economic growth. |
| United Nations power | Against | Cruz has criticized the United Nations. |
| Nationalism | For | Cruz advocates for traditional American values. |
| Free Markets | For | He supports free markets. Cruz argues that less government intervention is better for the economy. He sees this as incentivizing investment and entrepreneurship. |
| Brexit | For | Cruz has released a statement standing behind the Brexit referendum result. |
| Affirmative Action | Against | Cruz believes that affirmative action focuses too much on race and too little on merit. |
| Government Spending | Against | As a fiscal conservative, Cruz does not advocate for government spending. |
| Charter Schools | For | Cruz sees charter schools as providing more opportunities for education. |
| Common Core | Against | He opposes Common Core Standards. Cruz sees Common Core standards as a sign of the growing influence that the federal government has on the education system. In addition to eliminating the Department of Education, Cruz would like to drastically reduce the role of the federal government in education. |
| Clean Energy | Nuanced | He is not necessarily for or against clean energy. Cruz believes that clean energy could be a part of growing the economy. However, he argues that fossil fuel companies should not actively be regulated. |
| Religious Freedom | For | He is supportive of religious freedom. In his efforts against LGBT rights, Cruz has argued in favor for people's religious interpretation of marriage. He believes businesses should be able to freely practice their own religion. |
| Separation of Church and State | For | Cruz has stated that he values the separation of church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | He does not have an explicit stance on reparations. |
| Border Control | For | Cruz supports increased border security. The Senator states that our first priority should be to secure the border. He would like to build a physical wall. |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | He does not have a strong stance on passenger profiling. |
| DACA | Against | He does not believe that amnesty should be granted to specific illegal immigrants. |
| Sanctuary Cities | Against | He opposes federal funding of sanctuary cities. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | Nuanced | Cruz believes the decision to legalize marijuana should be left up to the states. |