Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz announced with a midnight tweet on Monday that he will will run for president in 2016, becoming the fist major party candidate to join the race.
"I'm running for president and I hope to earn your support!" Cruz, 44, tweeted with an embedded video further expanding on his announcement.
The Cruz campaign followed up shortly after explaining why he chose Monday, March 23, 2015 to announce his bid for the White House: "The reason why @tedcruz announced his bid today is simple. It's the anniversary of the disaster known as Obamacare. #Cruz2016."
Later Monday, Cruz took the stage at the nation's largest Christian college, Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., for his first official campaign speech.
"God's blessing has been on America from the beginning of this nation, and I believe God isn't done with America yet," Cruz said at the university, according to NPR. "I believe in you; I believe in the power of millions of courageous conservatives to reignite the power of America.
"And that is why today I am announcing that I am running for president of the United States."
Cruz went on to appeal to evangelicals and social conservatives, asking the crowd to imagine "repealing every word of Obamacare," "abolishing the IRS," ending the "president's unconstitutional amnesty" and upholding the sanctity of marriage.
"Imagine health care reform that keeps government out of the way between you and your doctor and that makes health insurance personal and portable and affordable," Cruz said to a cheering crowd, according to The Washington Post.
"Instead of a tax code that crushes innovation, that imposes burdens on families struggling to make ends met, imagine a simple flat tax ... that lets every American fill out his or her taxes on a postcard ... Imagine abolishing the IRS."
Cruz criticized President Barack Obama on foreign policy and vowed to maintain a hard-line stance towards Iran's nuclear program.
"Instead of a president who seeks to go to the United Nations to end-run Congress and the American people, imagine a president who says I will honor the Constitution and under no circumstances will Iran be able to acquire a nuclear weapon," he said.
The Tea Party favorite is known for his 21-hour filibuster-esque speech on the Senate floor in 2013 to protest the Affordable Care Act, in which he pushed Republicans to force a 16-day government shutdown in an effort to deny funding the health care law, according to Reuters. His relentless advocacy for conservative principles during his two years in the Senate has made him plenty of enemies in both parties.
Cruz has notably bucked the Republican establishment on issues such as health care, the federal budget and immigration.
According to people briefed on Cruz's strategy, his early entrance into the race is an effort to gain the support of right-wing tea partiers and evangelical Christians before the Republican field becomes too crowded with other contenders, The New York Times reported.
Other GOP candidate expected to enter the race in the next few weeks include former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, along with Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida.
