Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) will be the first Republican to launch a 2016 presidential campaign when he makes the announcement on Monday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Yep, right out of the gates, he’s aligning himelf with religious fanatics.

The first-term senator from Texas will announce that he’s running for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the Houston Chronicle. He will make his official declaration Monday in Lynchburg, Virginia at Liberty University, the largest Christian university in the world.

Cruz, 44, will be the first candidate to formally throw his hat in the ring for what’s expected to be a crowded GOP primary, with more than a dozen high-profile Republicans expressing serious interest in a White House run.

The Chronicle reports that Cruz will go straight to announcing his candidacy without first forming an exploratory committee, according to advisers with direct knowledge of his plans.

Cruz, armed with his trademark ostrich boots and impressive oratory skills, has quickly made a name for himself in the past two years since he started in the Senate, solidifying his brand as a conservative firebrand willing to take on establishment Republicans in Washington. Source: CNN

I wonder how the birthers will accept a presidential campaign from Ted Cruz? You will recall they went after Obama claiming he wasn’t natural born because his father was from Kenya. Then, some suggested, and still believe (including Donald Trump), that he was actually born in Kenya. So, how will they view the presidency of someone who was born in Canada to a Cuban father?

Ted Cruz won’t be the next GOP presidential nominee. He has veered too far right and the majority of Republicans aren’t that fanatical. You will also recall he engineered a 17-day government shutdown that has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many. According to a recent hypothetical CNN/ORC International, he has 4% support among members of his party. Though it’s early in the game, there is no way Ted Cruz will garner enough support when he has insulted just about every demographic he would need to attract — blacks, gays, Hispanic, women, young voters, etc.

This was cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette.