Challenges for Ted Cruz

The venue has little personal significance for him, but the timing of Senator Ted Cruz’s formal entry into the 2016 presidential field on Monday is full of meaning, as he seeks to catapult to the forefront of an increasingly competitive cluster of conservatives vying for the Republican nomination.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced Monday that he is launching his campaign to become the 2016 Republican nominee for president. Cruz has been positioning for this nomination almost since he entered the upper chamber in 2012. His announcement takes place at a bastion of conservatism, Liberty University, the institution founded by evangelical leader Jerry Falwell.