Ted Cruz Announces His Candidacy For President, Bringing Media Attention To His Extreme Policy Positions

Ted Cruz Announces Presidential Bid For 2016 With Differing Spanish- And English-Language Ads. On March 23, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) officially announced his presidential bid at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Cruz also announced his run via a Spanish-language and English-language campaign ad. As Time explained, the Spanish-language ad focused entirely on Cruz's personal life story, while the English-language version discussed Cruz's policy positions, several of which are unpopular among Latinos:

Two of the policy positions Cruz doesn't mention in his [Spanish] YouTube ad -- his opposition to immigration reform and his plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act -- are unpopular in the Hispanic community. [Time, 3/23/15]

National Journal: Cruz Has Made “Repealing” The Affordable Care Act “Central” To His Career. Cruz said he wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during his March 23 campaign announcement. As the National Journal noted, while other Republican hopefuls have made similar gestures, “none have made it as central to their political careers thus far as Cruz.” [National Journal, 3/23/15]

USA Today: Cruz Suggests Undocumented Immigrants Should Be Denied Path To Citizenship, Emphasizing Border Security Instead. According to USA Today's Alan Gomez, though Cruz “spoke in lofty terms about the virtues of immigrants” during his campaign announcement, elsewhere he has “made clear” that he is not interested in a pathway to citizenship for immigrants and focuses instead on increasing border security:

From barring undocumented immigrants from ever becoming U.S. citizens to remaking our immigration system into one that welcomes mostly university-trained foreigners, Cruz has made clear that he celebrates only a certain kind of immigrant. [USA Today, 3/24/15]

Hispanic Media Hit Cruz For Being Out Of Step With Latino Voters

La Opinión: Cruz's “Agenda And Style” Have Made Him “Incompatible With The Hispanic Majority.” As Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión pointed out, Cruz is the third Latino to officially announce a run for presidency in U.S. history, but his “presence opens the door to the question of whether it is enough to have a Spanish-speaking or Latino candidate to gain support of the Hispanic community.” Moreover, the editorial argued, Cruz's “agenda and style” make him “incompatible with the Hispanic majority.” [La Opinión, 3/26/15]

El País: Cruz May Be Latino And Speak Spanish, But He Does Not “Crusade” For This “Identity.” Spanish-language newspaper El País criticized Cruz for his policies, writing (in Spanish), “while he is Latino and speaks Spanish, he doesn't crusade with this identity and is opposed to measures that would legalize Latin American immigrants.” [El País, 3/23/15]

Huffington Post Latino Voices: Cruz “Doesn't Represent Latino Public Opinion” On The Affordable Care Act. Huffington Post Latino Voices reported on multiple ways in which Ted Cruz's views “diverge from prevailing opinion among Hispanics,” noting that despite the fact that 47 percent of Hispanics support the health care law, Cruz “appears likely” to make repealing the ACA a focal point of his campaign. [Huffington Post Latino Voices, 3/24/15]

La Opinión Highlights Cruz's "Two Faces" With Spanish-Speaking And Non-Spanish Speaking Voters. La Opinión criticized Cruz's “two faces” on immigration, arguing that he switches his messaging for Latino and non-Latino voters. The paper noted that in his campaign ads, Cruz “celebrates his Hispanic heritage, but omits his attacks on undocumented immigrants” in Spanish, while in English Cruz falsely calls Obama's immigration actions “illegal and unconstitutional amnesty.” [La Opinión, 3/24/15]

Univision 41 (San Antonio): Hispanics "Reject" Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz, Largely Due To His Anti-Immigration Reform Policy Positions. According to Univision41.com, Hispanics have rejected Cruz, accusing him of “holding anti-immigrant positions.” More specifically, immigration rights activists like the Dream Act Coalition said: “While Ted Cruz has a Hispanic name and an immigration background in his past, that is where all of the similarities between him and the Latino community stop.” [Univision41.com, 3/23/15]

Despierta America: Cruz's “Latino Last Name” And Background Cannot Distract Hispanic Voters From His Anti-Immigrant Positions. During the March 23 edition of Univision's Despierta America, Newsport reporter Danay Rivera explored reactions to Cruz's presidential announcement, noting that “getting the Latino vote would be really hard for him as he hasn't precisely championed the interests of Hispanics.” Co-host Ana Patricia Gonzalez opened the segment by highlighting Cruz's Latino and immigrant background, noting that he has become known for his “anti-immigrant policies.” [Univision, Despierta America, 3/23/15]

Polls Show Widespread Support Among Hispanics For Immigration Reform And The Affordable Care Act

Pew: Latinos Prioritize Pathway To Citizenship For Undocumented Immigrants Over Border Security. According to findings from Pew Research Center, “84% of Latino registered voters say that creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants should either be the top priority (46%) or just as important as better border security (38%)” for immigration reform, and "[o]nly 14% of Latino registered voters believe that better border security should be the priority":

[Pew Research Center, 10/29/14]

Pew: 47 Percent Of Hispanics Support The Affordable Care Act. A 2014 study from Pew Research found that while the popularity of the Affordable Care Act has decreased somewhat among Hispanics, 47 percent still support the health care law. [Pew Research Center, 3/27/14]