WASHINGTON: US Senator Ted Cruz from the hardline Republican right confirmed on Monday he will run for president in 2016, the first major candidate to officially declare a bid in the next race for the White House.
The announcement fires the starting gun on the Republican race, already expected to be a crowded contest.
"I'm running for president and I hope to earn your support!" he posted on Twitter early Monday.
The 44-year-old Tea Party favorite has been Senator in Texas since 2012, and is a long-time critic of US President Barack Obama's administration.
He has raised hackles in his own party in recent years when he helped push the US government into shutdown over budget fights, and for opposing Republican leaders on a series of issues.
In a 30-second video posted on Twitter early Monday, Cruz said it was time to "restore" America, and called on young conservatives to support him.
"It's a time for truth, a time to rise to the challenge, just as Americans have always done," he said in the video.
"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 make America great again and I'm ready to stand with you to lead the fight."
He is expected to appear at the Christian Liberty University in Virginia later Monday, where he could flesh out his leadership ambitions.
Cruz's advisors told US media he will aim to raise between $40 million and $50 million for his campaign, and will rely on support from his ultra-conservative and libertarian Tea Party base that voted him in as senator in 2012.
Though the first to officially declare his presidential bid, other Republicans, including former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and Senators Rand Paul and Marco Rubio have signaled they too could join the race.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee are also potential candidates seeking the populist conservative vote.
At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last month, Cruz told the crowd that "2016 looks like it's going to be a crowded race."
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