Initial Reactions to Ted Cruz for President Are Decidedly Mixed

The Texas senator's decision to run for president has elicited a range of opinions.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (2nd L) speaks as Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) (R) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) (L) listen during a news conference September 9, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

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By Ali Elkin

March 22, 2015 at 5:34 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Ted Cruz is a polarizing figure in American politics. So it's no surprise that his pre-announcement of his 2016 presidential campaign was met Sunday with reactions ranging from gushing praise to outright disdain.

The Tea Party seized on the news that Cruz will announce his candidacy Monday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. in an enthusiastic statement Sunday, praising Cruz for his departure from the typical presidential process and for not "monkeying around" before announcing. Cruz is skipping the exploratory committee phase of a pre-campaign, instead diving headfirst into an aggressive fundraising goal of between $40 and $50 million.