Sen. Ted Cruz, wife Heidi, and two daughters Catherine,          4, left, and Caroline, 6, practice waving on stage at          Liberty University before Cruz's Monday launch          presidential campaign launch. Andrew          Harnik/AP hide caption        
          Sen. Ted Cruz, wife Heidi, and two daughters Catherine,          4, left, and Caroline, 6, practice waving on stage at          Liberty University before Cruz's Monday launch          presidential campaign launch.        
    The 2016 presidential campaign has its first official    candidate. Republican Ted Cruz jumped into the race for the    presidency, announcing his intentions in a tweet at 12:09 am    EDT Monday morning.  
    "I'm running for president and I hope to earn your support!"    the firebrand Texas senator tweeted simply with an embedded    video.  
    "It's a time for truth," Cruz says in the 30-second video that    shows pictures of Americana  baseball, the Golden Gate and    Brooklyn bridges, men walking in a factory. "A time to rise to    the challenge, just as Americans have always done. I believe in    America and her people and I believe we can stand up and    restore our promise. It's going to take a new generation of    courageous conservatives to help make America great again. And    I'm ready to stand with you to lead the fight."  
    Though several candidates are testing the presidential waters    in what is expected to be another crowded Republican field,    Cruz is the first major candidate to outright declare he is    running.  
    Cruz trails in early presidential primary polls. He pulled in    just 4 percent of Republican primary voters in the latest    CNN/ORC poll. An NBC/WSJ poll found Republicans split on    whether they could support Cruz  40 to 38 percent.  
          Sen. Ted Cruz kisses his wife Heidi during a walk through          Sunday night at Liberty University before Cruz's Monday          presidential campaign announcement. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption        
    But the ideological hardliner and his team hope he can    capitalize on his popularity with the Tea Party and his    reputation as an outspoken fighter of both Democrats and the    Republican establishment.  
    Cruz is set to hold a more traditional announcement event    Monday at Liberty University in Virginia. The setting is    emblematic of the path Cruz hopes to carve out to the    nomination. Liberty claims to be the largest evangelical    Christian university in the world. It was founded by    evangelical pastor Jerry Falwell in 1971.  
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Republican Thorn Ted Cruz Announces Run For President