The Daily Princetonian: Old Nassau and the Tea Party converge
By Regina Wang
Of all the alumni that have run for public office in recent years, few have won the endorsement of the Tea Party. Yet roughly one year after filing to run for U.S. Senate and 20 years after walking out FitzRandolph Gate, former Solicitor General of Texas Ted Cruz ’92 has become a darling of the conservative movement as he campaigns against what he calls federal overreach in the Lone Star State.
Cruz was endorsed two weeks ago by the Tea Party Express, a national political action committee, the latest and most visible demonstration of support from the powerful movement. Last October, Cruz was featured on the cover of National Review, calling him “the next great conservative hope.”
At Princeton, Cruz was a Wilson School major and a highly successful collegiate debater, winning the U.S. National Speaker of the Year award as a senior. He and his partner David Panton ’92 also won U.S. National Team of the Year. Outside of debate, Cruz served on the USG and led the conservative Clio Party in the Whig-Cliosophic Society.
The son of a Cuban immigrant, Cruz won a speech contest held by the Free Enterprise Institute, a Houston-based think tank, all four years of high school and gave over 70 speeches on the Constitution before entering Princeton.
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