LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) – Sen. Ted Cruz announced his presidential bid on Twitter, just hours ahead of a planned Monday morning event to formally launch his candidacy at the college founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.
The Texas Republican is the first serious contender to declare himself a candidate.
He will lay out his case during an event at Liberty University, which calls itself the world’s largest Christian college.
Cruz is a tea party favorite, and chose Liberty University as a signal he will campaign for religious conservatives as well as young voters. In a late-night video promoted on Twitter, Cruz also says it will take a new generation of “courageous conservatives to help make America great again,” and that he’s ready to lead the fight.