Who is Ted Cruz and where does he stand on important political issues?

Ted Cruz is a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Currently he serves in the United States Senate as a Senator from Texas. As the Republican primary season has progressed, he finds himself one of only three of the original seventeen candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. Cruz runs on a conservative platform and often speaks against "the Washington cartel," by which he means entrenched politicians and lobbyists in the federal government who pursue an agenda that benefits themselves rather than the voters, everyday working men and women, around the country. Cruz has distinguished himself on the Senate floor by calling for a hard stance against the Affordable Care Act, preferring to hold off on passing a federal budget if it included funding for Obamacare. 

Some of his positions on issues, available on his website, are:

1. Restoring the Constitution: He would appoint originalist judges to the Supreme Court, and he would rescind executive orders signed by President Obama that overreach presidential authority.

2. Second Amendment: He is for the rights of gun owners and opposes gun control legislation.

3. Immigration: He feels strongly that the southern border needs to be secured to prevent illegal immigration and that current laws regarding immigration should be enforced.

4. National Defense: Cruz has said he would "rip up the Iran nuclear deal" his first day in office; he wants to rebuild the military; he takes a strong stand against ISIS; he embraces America's role as a leader in world affairs.

5. Israel: Cruz has declared that, unlike the Republican front runner, he will not be neutral in the conflict between Palestinians and Israel but would firmly stand with Israel as the foremost U.S. ally in the Middle East. 

6. Religious Liberty: As a lawyer, Cruz defended before the Supreme Court a monument in Texas that displayed the 10 Commandments. In matters where laws come into conflict with religious expression, such as companies or associations being required to pay for health plans that include abortions or bakers refusing to make wedding cakes for same-sex weddings, Cruz argues for religious liberty.

7. Life, Marriage and Family: Cruz is pro-life and has advocated legal restrictions on abortion; he would like to see the issue of same-sex marriage left to the states to decide. 

8. Taxes and Economy: Cruz has said he would like to abolish the IRS, which could be accomplished by adopting his proposed flat tax, which he believes will stimulate the economy, bringing back jobs and employers that are now doing business overseas. He favors reducing burgeoning regulations that have made it harder for small businesses to start and operate in the last two decades.

9. Rein in Government: Cruz favors smaller federal government and would eliminate five federal agencies: the IRS, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He believes this will not only reduce the money spent by the federal government but also provide more local control to states and citizens.