article_snippet: Washington (CNN)Ted Ted Cruz's is back in his favorite place: the spotlight.
article_snippet: As the first candidate to quit the charade of "exploring" a presidential run and actually jumping in, the Texas Republican senator presented an image Monday of decisiveness and vision -- all before an auditorium of mostly supportive young evangelicals.
article_snippet: Even evangelicals, Ted Cruz's's target audience during Ted Cruz's launch speech at Liberty University, aren't firmly in Ted Cruz's column.
article_snippet: Ted is clearly a player," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a Christian public policy ministry.
article_snippet: By choosing Liberty University in Virginia, which was founded by fundamentalist preacher Jerry Falwell, to roll out Ted long shot campaign, Ted Cruz's made clear Ted won't cede the Christian right to another candidate.
article_snippet: From the dawn of America, at every stage, America has enjoyed God's providential blessing," said Ted Cruz's, roaming the stage with a microphone like a megachurch preacher on a Sunday morning.
article_snippet: Liberty offered Ted Cruz's a ready-made crowd: young evangelicals in a vast auditorium who had little choice but to pack the stands, because the announcement came during the American people compulsory weekly convocation.
article_snippet: This is exactly the kind of coalition of youthful Christian idealists Ted Cruz's must win over and get to work in early voting states if Ted presidential hopes are to catch fire.
article_snippet: Several students sat in the audience within view of the cameras wearing red T-shirts emblazoned with "Rand," referring to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who is also likely to make a play for young conservatives.
article_snippet: Perkins said Perkins had been assured by Ted Cruz's personally that Perkins believes Perkins can create a path to the nomination -- and ultimately the presidency -- despite the fact that Perkins would be taking aim at the White House with the almost unanimous disapproval of the Republican establishment.
article_snippet: Perkins used Perkins speech Monday to also slam Common Core education standards and immigration reform, areas where establishment GOP favorite Jeb Bush is perceived to be vulnerable.
article_snippet: I think Ted Cruz's has generated some excitement in Iowa, and Ted Cruz's is a new face," said Yepsen.