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 "I'm running for President and I hope to earn your support!" Cruz
said on his official Twitter page, an unusual forum for presidential
candidates to announce such plans.
The message was accompanied by a 30-second video in which Cruz said:
"I believe in America and her people, and I believe we can stand up
and restore our promise." American scenes from southwestern
landscapes to the Golden Gate Bridge were also shown.
"It's going to take a new generation of courageous conservatives to
help make America great again," Cruz said, adding that he was ready
"to lead the fight."
Cruz was expected to speak on Monday at Liberty University, an
evangelical Christian school in Virginia, according to an aide,
giving the Tea Party favorite a head start on what is likely to be a
crowded field of Republican White House contenders.
Cruz, 44, has built a reputation as an unyielding advocate for
conservative principles in his two years in the Senate. As a
presidential candidate, he is likely to portray himself as the most
reliable proponent of small government.
 "We need to look to people who walk the walk and don't just talk the
talk," he told the Conservative Political Action Conference in
February.
More than a dozen potential presidential candidates are already
courting donors and voters in states like Iowa and New Hampshire
that vote early in next year's primary season. But none are expected
to enter the race formally until April at the earliest, in order to
maximize their advantage under campaign finance laws.
As the lone official candidate, Cruz will get extra attention from
the media and voters for several weeks.
But after declaring his candidacy, his political operation will face
legal restrictions. He will have to file a fundraising report in
mid-April, for example, while others will not have to disclose their
finances until mid-July.
While undeclared candidates such as former Florida governor Jeb Bush
can solicit million-dollar checks for their political organizations,
Cruz will not be able to ask supporters for more than $5,400, the
maximum contribution allowed for candidates.
'WACKO BIRDS'
The Canadian-born son of a Cuban immigrant, Cruz would be the first
Hispanic in the White House if he won the November 2016 election.
In his time in the Senate, he has sometimes drawn the scorn of
senior Republicans. Arizona Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican
presidential candidate, famously called him and other Tea Party
lawmakers "wacko birds" in 2013.
Later that year, Cruz pushed his party to force a 16-day government
shutdown in an unsuccessful effort to deny funding to President
Barack Obama's healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act. He led a
similar effort this year, also unsuccessful, to block Obama's effort
to remove the threat of deportation for some undocumented
immigrants.
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Despite - or perhaps because of - his unpopularity in Washington,
Cruz's appeal among grassroots activists has grown.
In recent weeks, he has criticized other potential Republican
candidates for supporting comprehensive immigration reform and the
Common Core educational standards. He has called for abolishing the
tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service and stationing its agents on
the U.S.-Mexico border.
Cruz is a proven fundraiser, collecting $18 million for his Senate
race and raising a further $2 million to distribute to other
candidates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
He will aim to raise between $40 million and $50 million over the
course of the Republican primary campaign, according to the Houston
Chronicle.
That might be less than the total raised by more
establishment-friendly candidates like Bush or Florida Senator Marco
Rubio, who is viewed favorably by many wealthy donors in a
conservative network led by billionaire industrialists Charles and
David Koch.
Cruz was supported by 8 percent of self-identified Republicans in a
Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll. Bush leads the poll with 21 percent and
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker ranks second with 16 percent.
Several other potential candidates are statistically tied with Cruz,
including Rubio, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and retired
neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
The Democratic field is shaping up to be far leaner. Former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has yet to declare her candidacy
but is viewed as the front-runner in her party.
(Additional reporting by Peter Cooney and Chris Michaud; Editing by
Frances Kerry, Tom Brown and Alan Raybould)
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