Legal Commentary

Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate

By Eugene Volokh

Ted Cruz, whom I praised highly when he ran for Texas Attorney General last year is now running for the U.S. Senate. As I mentioned then, I know Ted and think very highly of him: He is extremely smart, thoughtful, and accomplished for someone of his years. (He clerked for Chief Justice Rehnquist, worked in the Justice Department, served as Director of the Office of Policy Planning at the Federal Trade Commission, served as Texas Solicitor General, and is now the head of the Morgan Lewis appellate practice.) My sense is also that he?ll be a very good campaigner, and an effective politician, though I haven?t personally seen him in those contexts.

Ted?s views are more solidly conservative than mine. But I would have gladly voted for him if I were a Texan; not being a Texan, all I could do was contribute to his campaign ? which I did then, and just did again now, and I would encourage others to do the same.

(In case you?re curious about what happened with the AG race: My understanding is that Ted ran for AG in the anticipation that the incumbent AG, Greg Abbott, would seek higher office; when Abbott decided to stay as AG, Ted withdrew.)

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on March 09, 2011 (boomark / email).