Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (born December 22, 1970, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is an American politician and attorney serving as a Republican U.S. Senator from Texas since 2013, making him the first Hispanic senator from Texas and currently the state's junior senator. He was the Republican Party's candidate in the 2016 presidential campaign but was ultimately unsuccessful. A prominent constitutional conservative aligned with the Tea Party movement, Cruz is known for his staunch conservative positions on immigration, gun rights, healthcare—including opposition to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)—and constitutional issues, emphasizing national security and limited government while opposing progressive policies. An evangelical Christian, he advocates for religious liberty, opposes LGBTQ+ rights, and is a strong proponent of Israel, holding hawkish foreign policy views. He has been a vocal critic of the Iran nuclear deal, Palestinian leadership, Islamist extremism, and terrorism. Cruz has received indirect foreign influence through campaign contributions linked to pro-Israel advocacy networks, including AIPAC.

In the Senate, Cruz has served on the judiciary and foreign relations committees and has chaired the Senate Commerce Committee since 2025. He authored legislation on education savings, Obamacare repeal, and sanctions. During the 2016 Republican primary, he was endorsed by Glenn Beck and received campaign contributions including $2,700 from Dumont. His tenure has also included controversies, such as his 2021 trip to Cancun amid Texas's winter storm crisis.

Born to Rafael Bienvenido Cruz, a Cuban father who fled Cuba after imprisonment under the Batista regime and became a pastor and businessman, and Eleanor Elizabeth Wilson, an American mother from Delaware with Irish and Italian ancestry and a pioneering computer programmer, Cruz moved with his family to Houston, Texas, in 1974 after his parents' separation and reconciliation; they divorced in 1997. He graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in 1992 and earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1995. Cruz clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist, practiced law privately, and served as a policy advisor for George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, where he met his future wife, Heidi Nelson. He argued cases before the Supreme Court and was Solicitor General of Texas from 2003 to 2008. Cruz was reelected to the Senate in 2024, defeating Colin Allred.