Republican criticism of Ted Cruz isn't washing with top economist Larry Kudlow, who told
Newsmax TV that the Texas senator is strong presidential timber with hints of Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy.
"I was very impressed. He's a smart guy," Kudlow said Wednesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show," two days after Cruz became the first Republican to declare he is seeking the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.
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"I did not happen to agree with the government shutdown tactic regarding Obamacare in 2013. On the other hand, I do agree Obamacare has to be erased and rewritten, and he is very clear on that."
"And he was very clear in his support of a flat tax, which would be so totally pro-growth. In fact, Cruz's whole speech was very significantly pro-growth."
Kudlow, a CNBC senior contributor, also says Cruz's fiery speech, in which he announced his intentions, was reminiscent of two of the nation's most beloved commanders-in-chief.
"It sounded like Ronald Reagan. In fact, he quoted Reagan. He also sounded a lot like John F. Kennedy, because he kept saying that we get our rights and our freedoms from God, not from government. That's a very key point," Kudlow said.
"He's right about not taking over the Internet, he's right about not stifling energy. In other words, he's a very solid-issues guy and I wouldn't be so quick to write him off."
Kudlow's rave was completely opposite the scathing putdown delivered by Rep. Pete King, a New York Republican, who said Cruz would make a better "carnival barker" than president.
"Peter King's a good man, he's an old friend, he's pretty tough on Cruz," said Kudlow, who hosts the nationally syndicated radio program, "The Larry Kudlow Show.''
But the veteran numbers cruncher also says that Cruz — who chose the ultra-conservative Liberty University as the place to kick off his campaign — has plenty of work cut out for him.
"His challenge is going to be to broaden the base of support. Now, he appealed directly to the Evangelical Christians, and I'm fine with that … it's an important constituency. But he needs to broaden the base of support," Kudlow said.
But that's not just Cruz's task — all Republican candidates must strive to widen their support base, according to Kudlow.
"They have got to reach out to the groups that walked away from Mitt Romney in 2012, namely Asians, Hispanics … single women, millennials," he said.
"There's no reason why the Republican Party cannot have a strong growth message that will help the middle class, that will help business, that will help job creation, that will give us freedom of choice in healthcare at much lower costs.
"These are universal issues, but you've got to send the right message, and my only criticism of Sen. Cruz is I didn't quite hear that message. The appeal to Christian evangelicals is fine, but he's got to have a broader base."