N.A.S.
by Jacqueline Stoughton
The Republican Party has its first official candidate for president following the announcement via Twitter from Texas Senator Ted Cruz, “I’m running for president and I hope to earn your support!”
Cruz’s nomination follows a typical election campaign for the Republican Party of one hopeful that has the literally no chance of actually being nominated.
As a Tea Party favorite, Cruz lacks the capacity to appeal to Republicans as whole. In order to go any further within this campaign, much of the responsibility will fall onto his staff, those who support him, donors and interest groups that will provide him with the credibility he needs to gain voters and desired media attention.
His biggest downfall is not appealing to elites. Not having the support or respect from his own party will lead him down a very unsuccessful campaign trail.
In April 2013, Foreign Policy Magazine referred to him as “the most hated man in the senate,” going on to depict him as “the human equivalent of one of those flower-squirters that clowns wear on their lapels.” If having a statement that degrading published about you doesn’t officially make you the joke of the Republican Party, then I don’t know what does.
According to an NBC and Wall Street Journal poll published last month, only 40 percent of Republicans said they can support Cruz. While 38 percent said they couldn’t see themselves supporting him.
Currently, Cruz only holds about 6 percent of the national vote; another fact that causes concern, since most candidates have about 15 percent of the vote by now.
Although Cruz is likely to be a favorite among very conservative and religious states such as Iowa, that’s still not enough to get him very far. The Republican Party is extremely diverse, and support from just those who identify as “very conservative” will not be enough to swing a vote for Cruz.