Cruz 's name recognition significantly increased shortly after his campaign began , in April rising by 21 points to 82 % from the 61 % he had the previous month . Cruz expressed his intent in May to not engage in " personal attacks " with other candidates as the field started to increase , opting to only focus on issues , which he defined as the " meat " of politics . Cruz welcomed several candidates into the race following their individual announcements of their candidacy for the presidency , praising them as well . A Des Moines Register poll released in May showed Cruz in eighth place at 5 % among caucus goers . Cruz significantly increased his appearances in Iowa from June 2015 . On June 18 , the day after the Charleston church shooting , Cruz gave a speech empathizing with the lost lives and led onlookers in a moment of silence . At the same time , former political director Craig Robinson expressed that while he thought of Cruz as " the perfect caucus candidate " , he did not feel he was committing to Iowa
Charleston church shooting
Charleston church shooting
Ted Cruz 2016 presidential campaign