TribBlog: Cruz-ing Into the Senate Race

Ted Cruz, who served as Texas solicitor general from 2003 to 2008, is the latest to officially throw in for the race to replace U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Here's a snippet from the release Cruz issued this morning announcing his candidacy:

Cruz noted that his campaign launch comes on the day the vote is scheduled to repeal ObamaCare in Congress, which will be a hallmark of his agenda.
 
Cruz said the next U.S. senator from Texas should fight for limited government, less spending, lower taxes, individual liberty, and preserving the Constitution. He committed to work tirelessly for the full repeal of ObamaCare, to reduce the national debt by cutting spending and passing a Balanced Budget Amendment, and to never request or support earmarks.
 
"I'm running for U.S. Senate because we need leaders in Washington who will stand up and fight to defend liberty, preserve the Constitution, and stop federal overreach," Cruz said. "Unfortunately, President Obama believes that government is the solution to all problems. This administration has presided over an unprecedented increase in federal government authority and spending. When power is drawn into Washington, inevitably, individual liberty is taken away. I will fight to defend liberty, to defend Texas, and to defend our Constitution."
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In his prior race for Attorney General, Cruz achieved remarkable fundraising success, raising more than $1.3 million from nearly 1,000 donors in over 100 Texas cities and 25 states. He gained endorsements from virtually every top conservative political leader across Texas and many nationally. In addition, Cruz has assembled an immense grassroots network, including more than 54,000 supporters on Facebook — more than any statewide official in Texas. By the end of 2009, Cruz had become the only Republican remaining in the race, but ultimately withdrew to support his friend and mentor Greg Abbott once there was no longer going to be a vacancy for Attorney General.