Since a recent story broke explaining that Texas Senator Ted Cruz legally has dual-citizenship in the United States and Canada, Cruz has decided to renounce his Canadian citizenship. The situation arose since Cruz was born in Canada while his mother is an American citizen. Thus, under the law in both countries, Cruz retained both American and Canadian citizenship from birth, until now.
Report from the Washington Post:
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) announced Monday evening that he will renounce his Canadian citizenship, less than 24 hours after a newspaper pointed out that the Canadian-born senator likely maintains dual citizenship.
“Now the Dallas Morning News says that I may technically have dual citizenship,” Cruz said in a statement. “Assuming that is true, then sure, I will renounce any Canadian citizenship. Nothing against Canada, but I’m an American by birth and as a U.S. senator; I believe I should be only an American.”
The Dallas Morning News wrote in a story posted late Sunday night that Cruz likely remains a Canadian citizen, by virtue of being born there to an American mother. Having never renounced that citizenship, Cruz was technically a Canadian and an American citizen, according to legal experts.
Meanwhile, supporters of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul have been floating questions and concerns about Cruz’s eligibility to run for President. Report from the Washington Examiner:
Allies of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in Iowa have begun raising questions about whether Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, qualifies for president under the Constitution, according to an in-state political operative who supports the Texas lawmaker.
“They’re scared and they now keep bringing up the eligibility issue,” Jamie Johnson told the Washington Examiner. Johnson was coalitions director for Rick Santorum’s campaign during the 2012 Iowa caucuses, but he hopes Cruz wins the Republican nomination in 2016. “They are hitting the eligibility issue hard,” Johnson said. “They’re using third-party sources, though; they don’t want it tracked back to Campaign for Liberty [an organization that grew out of Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential bid].”
Paul and Cruz have not clashed personally, but their respective treks to Iowa — home of the presidential primary season’s first election — suggest the Senate allies are on a collision course.
An interesting quandary Cruz finds himself in since I’m betting this issue isn’t going away anytime soon given how competitive the GOP primary will be in 2016.
