Jace Brady
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Over the last week, Sen. Ted Cruz’s eligibility to run for president has been brought into question. The premise of this argument is found in the belief that Cruz is not a natural-born citizen because, though born to an American mother, his birth did not take place on American soil. Critics argue that Cruz’s Canadian birth excludes him from the Constitution’s presidential qualifications.

Despite historical precedent allowing candidates in similar situations to run, the first lawsuit (from attorney Newton Schwartz) was filed in Texas this week challenging the freshman senator’s status. While most reports of this lawsuit suggest it will be quickly dismissed because of a lack of standing, Cruz must still be concerned that the propaganda will taint the opinions of voters who intend to support his candidacy.

The reality of the situation seems to suggest that Cruz is in fact a natural-born American citizen. In the last Republican presidential debate, Cruz delineated prior studies to support his case. These include George Romney, who was born to American missionaries abroad, and Sen. John McCain, who was the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. McCain, who was born in the Panama Canal Zone when his father was a high-ranking Navy officer, was able to secure a resolution from Congress declaring him a natural-born citizen, a convenience denied Cruz by a grudge-holding majority leader. Though a colleague in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seems disinclined to support those who stand up for principles that fail to conform with his rigid ideology, particularly Cruz.

In addition to past cases held as evidence, countless legal experts have confirmed that Cruz does meet the qualifications of the presidency. However, opposition is still propelled by none other than Cruz’s chief rival. Over the last month, Cruz has surpassed Donald Trump on his rise to the top of the Iowa polls. In an apparent politically astute move, Trump has raised questions regarding Cruz’s eligibility. Trump has iterated the claims of Harvard law Professor Laurence Tribe, who has adamantly denied Cruz’s eligibility. However, Tribe is a staunch liberal whose opinion is outnumbered by other legal scholars and must be taken with a grain of salt because of his political ideology. While these questions have proven detrimental to Cruz in the polls, there remains overwhelming evidence that Cruz is nothing short of a natural-born citizen.

Any doubt whether Cruz may not be eligible is diminished by Trump’s obvious animosity toward the senator. On ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Trump called Cruz “a nasty guy” and stated that “nobody likes him.” Such childish charges certainly weakened any credibility Trump held in his accusations.

Now, as the polls have narrowed in Iowa and the caucuses near, it is time for the voters to decide how these accusations will affect the race. Will they hurt Cruz, who must now defend his right to run, or Trump, whose impetuous accusations may finally backfire? Ultimately, only time will tell if this is simply politics as usual or if Cruz’s fate will depend on the day he was born a few miles too far north to fulfill his potential destiny.