Cruz Doesn't Say Whether He Will Support a Perry Presidential Run

Amid speculation about a White House run, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Thursday declined to say whether he would support Gov. Rick Perry if he were to launch a 2016 presidential bid. 

Speaking after a tour at the Austin-based technology giant National Instruments, Cruz said it was too early to think about 2016. Cruz also pushed back against speculation that he is preparing for his own presidential run. The Texas senator has been visiting Republican-dominated states and is currently touring Texas rallying support for his effort to defund the Affordable Care Act.

"I think it is way premature to be worrying about 2016," Cruz said. "What I can tell you? I'm a big fan of Gov. Perry's."

Early polling shows that Cruz is performing better than Perry in some key states, such as Iowa. A July poll by Public Policy Polling showed Cruz placed sixth as the Republican pick for president, trailing Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. Perry, who had a poor finish in Iowa in 2012, did not even make the list. 

Cruz, who was born in Canada, also poked fun at recent debate over his citizenship, which has attracted national attention because only "natural born" Americans are eligible to be president. Cruz asked reporters to leave the room during a roundtable with business executives, promising he wouldn't give away any "really juicy piece of crazy" news. 

"I am secretly a citizen of Ethiopia," Cruz joked.