Cruz Is First Out Of Gate In GOP White House Race

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is in. Cruz is the first Republican to enter the 2016 presidential race and several others are expected to follow suit in coming weeks. At Liberty University, Cruz vowed to help restore the "promise of America." The conservative Cruz was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and is a harsh critic of President Obama. He called Obama's healthcare reform law a failure. Cruz got big ovations after promising to secure the U.S.-Mexican border, abolish the IRS, stand strong with Israel and aggressively combat terrorism.

The 44-year Cruz is an attorney with degrees from Harvard and Princeton. He is married and has two daughters. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is favored to win the Democratic nomination for president and is expected to announce her candidacy this spring. No strong Democratic challengers have emerged to take on Clinton.