(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Conservative Texas Senator Ted Cruz became the first Republican to formally announce his campaign for the presidency on Monday in a speech at Liberty University, a Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Cruz, first elected to the Senate in 2012, made a national name with his opposition to the signature domestic achievement of President Barack Obama, the national health care law known as "Obamacare." Cruz's filibuster in the Senate helped lead to a 16-day shutdown of the federal government, an action that was opposed by many members of his own political party.
Cruz, who openly identifies with the Tea Party, the most conservative wing of the Republican Party, will likely face a difficult time securing his party's nomination in 2016 against a crowded field that will include not only other staunch conservatives, but also the establishment of Republicans led by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
Cruz, 44, said during his announcement speech that, if elected president, he would repeal Obamacare and shut down the Internal Revenue Service, the federal agency responsible for collecting taxes.
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