Ted Cruz Announces Presidential Run... On Twitter

On Sunday evening, a cryptic message from the Twitter account of Ted Cruz said to stay tuned because, "Tonight around midnight there will be some news you won’t want to miss." Naturally, we waited up to see what ol' Cruz had in store for us, and, let's just say, he didn't disappoint. After news broke earlier in the morning that Cruz would announce his run for presidency at Liberty University during a convocation speech Monday, he flipped the tables on us and instead announced his 2016 presidential run on Twitter, of all places.

The tweet read, "I'm running for President and I hope to earn your support!" It was accompanied by a 30-second commercial that declared it's time to "make America great again" while overlaid on a background of dramatic music. Clearly directed toward young voters, the video said in full:

It’s a time for truth, a time to rise to the challenge, just as Americans have always done. I believe in America and her people, and I believe we can stand up and restore our promise. It’s going to take a new generation of courageous conservatives to help make America great again. And I’m ready to stand with you… to lead the fight.

The Republican party has been working over the years to have a greater appeal to young conservatives and young voters in general, and they know that social issues are not their strong point among millennials. This was highlighted in January, when an anti-abortion bill split the party, and Rep. Renee Ellmers urged caution regarding the bill, saying, "The first vote we take, or the second vote, or the fifth vote, shouldn’t be on an issue where we know that millennials — social issues just aren’t as important [to them]."

Undoubtedly aiming to make a name for himself with the young people as what I'm assuming is the one of the first people to ever announce their presidential candidacy on Twitter or another social media platform, Cruz has done an excellent job at keeping the nation buzzing about him all Sunday long and likely into the next few days, or at least until the next candidate announces his or her run.

It was really a beautiful ploy if you think about it. Cruz's most important constituencies are going to be millennials, social conservatives, and the Tea Party. Now, instead of announcing his candidacy at Liberty University, he'll will be able to talk about his political positioning at the religious college while reaching the latter two constituencies, since he's already reached the first via Twitter.

Bold strategy, Cruz. Let's see if it pays off for him.

Image: Giphy (1)