Ted Cruz Launches Bid to Become First Latino President

With one tweet, Texas Senator Ted Cruz threw his hat into the Presidential candidacy ring.

"I'm running for President, and I hope to earn your support!" Cruz tweeted shortly after midnight on Monday, becoming the first politician to jump into the race. If elected, Cruz would become the nation's first Latino president.

Cruz followed with a series of short videos released throughout the day, one proclaiming, "It's a time for truth, a time to rise to the challenge just like Americans have always done," he said the first video. "It's going to take a new generation of courageous conservatives to help make America great again."

A second spot, "Ted Cruz para Presidente" in Spanish, appeals to a Latino voter base; one that overwhelmingly supported Democratic opponent Paul Sadler in the race for Texas' Senate seat three years ago.

The son of a Cuban immigrant, Cruz often cites his father's resilient journey to the United States with only $100 to his name. Still, Cruz vehemently opposes measures towards amnesty and is among the GOP's outspoken opponents of President Obama's executive action granting asylum to undocumented immigrants.

Cruz was the first Hispanic to clerk for a Chief Justice of the U.S. and first to serve as U.S Senator for Texas.

Latinos made up eight percent of total voters during the 2012 Presidential election, but will account for more than 40 percent of growth between now and 2030, according to the Pew Research Center. Cruz, for his part, hasn't appealed to this ever-growing voter base unlike possible presidential rival Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whose parents were also born in Cuba.

"I believe God isn't done with America yet. I believe in you. I believe in the power of millions of courageous conservatives rising up to reignite the promise of America. And that is why today, I'm announcing that I am running for president of the United States," Cruz said before a crowd of over 8,000 at evangelical Liberty University on Monday.

Democrats, and some in his own Republican party consider Cruz a lightning rod for criticism.

In Sept. 2013, Cruz's all-night filibuster denouncing Obamacare lasted 21 hours and 19 minutes and included a reading of Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham." The speech played a pivotal role in what would ultimately lead to a 16-day government shutdown.

Aside from his opposition to same-sex marriage and plan to disband the IRS, Cruz's stance on climate change may be a prime detractor for moderate Republicans. "My view actually is simple. Debates on this should follow science, and should follow data. And many of the alarmists on global warming, they've got a problem because the science doesn't back them up," Cruz said speaking with late night talk show Seth Meyers last week.

Cruz went on to say that there has been zero global warming in the last 17 years.

While popular in tea party circles, Cruz's support among Republicans is still in single digits, according to a CNN/ORC International survey conducted this month. In the same survey, Cruz fell eight spots behind Bush for the GOP nomination.

 "It is a time for truth. It is a time for liberty. It is a time to reclaim the Constitution of the United States," Cruz said.

Watch Cruz's 30-second video directed at Latino voters below.