International Business Times
Originally Posted: March 23, 2015
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s announcement on Monday officially declaring his Republican presidential run wasn’t just an effort to soak up all the media attention as the first major party candidate to announce. It was also a signal to campaign staffers and donors to join his team.
“His problem is that in a very crowded field that includes some very accomplished people like [ex-Florida Gov.] Jeb Bush and [New Jersey Gov. Chris] Christie and [Ohio Gov.] John Kasich and a bunch of other senators, I think he felt he needed to break to the front of the pack with an early and unambiguous declaration that he’s running for president,” said Cal Jillson, a professor of political science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “He’s looking for that moment in the sun where he can make his case and hope that big donors, as well as lots and lots of small donors on the Internet,” support him.
The latest poll numbers have not looked good for Cruz. A CNN survey from last week showed the Texas senator in eighth place out of 14 possible Republican contenders for president. He also has a negative net favorability rating. Roughly 50 percent of American adults are familiar with him and 22 percent view him favorably, while 28 percent have an unfavorable view, according to a Gallup poll released earlier this month. READ MORE