Texas Sen. Ted Cruz became the first candidate last week to announce his intention to seek the 2016 Republican nomination. Here are 10 reasons Cruz, who's already drawing praise from the conservative base, would make a great president.
1. Cruz has strong Tea Party support, which could stimulate renewed grassroots participation, engaging more voters in the democratic process.
2. Cruz is a leader who is not afraid to stand on principle, fight difficult fights, speak out for what he believes in, and buck Washington politics. His high-profile battles in the Senate over Obamacare and immigration serve as two examples.
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3. He's "off-the-charts" brilliant, according to his former law professor at Harvard, liberal Alan Dershowitz.
4. Cruz has a clear vision for the country, taking strong positions on a number of issues. For example, he said in his speech to launch his bid, "Imagine abolishing the IRS . . . Imagine a president that finally, finally, finally secures our borders . . . instead of a federal government that seeks to dictate school curriculum through Common Core. Imagine repealing every word of Common Core."
5. Cruz, as an American Exceptionalist, will look to restore the country's standing on the international stage.
6. He has a strong legal background and, as a defender of the Constitution, he will look to realign the role and scope of the executive branch after years of executive overreach under President Barack Obama. Cruz earned his law degree at Harvard University and clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
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7. Cruz will likely draw strong support from the Hispanic community, representing a unifying cultural force for the country. Cruz's Cuban ancestry was likely a contributing factor to his winning 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in the 2012 Texas senate contest.
8. Cruz could unify the Republican Party given that voters tend to close ranks around a candidate with a conservative record.
9. He has strong positions on immigration and border security, which would enable him to tackle one of the country's biggest challenges.
10. Cruz's strong oratorical skills could inspire populist support and trigger a renewed optimism about the direction of the country.
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