Man who would be President : Texas Senator Ted Cruz will reportedly announce his bid on Monday . Ted Cruz will reportedly announce his intention to run for President of the United States this Monday , which would make him the first officially declared hopeful in the 2016 election . The Texas Republican senator , who is still in his first term of Congress , is due to commit himself to a presidential campaign at a speech in Virginia next week , according to senior advisers . Aides in the Cruz camp spoke about his intentions to the Houston Chronicle , but insisted on remaining anonymous . Cruz will hope to triumph against other GOP front-runners such as Jeb Bush , Scott Walker and Rand Paul to win his party 's nomination . The Chronicle reported that Cruz will announce at a convocation ceremony held at Liberty University , Virginia , the world 's largest Christian university . Sketching out his campaign strategy , Cruz aides said he will hope to raise more than $ 40million to help him compete in the primary campaign . Cruz is said to be skipping the step of forming an 'exploratory committee ' , which Jeb Bush has already taken , and will directly announce the bid . He will hope that his conservative credentials will play well with the Tea Party wing of the GOP , and also rely on scooping up second and third-preference votes from less convinced voters . Though he lacks the clout of other candidates within Washington and the political establishment , strategists admit , they hope that with the voters of key states like Iowa , New Hampshire and South Carolina , he will be able to carry the day nonetheless . However , Cruz remains an outlier in a busy Republican field . A poll earlier this month , from Quinnipiac University , gave him 6 per cent of the GOP vote . Men to beat : Jeb Bush , left , and Scott Walker , right , both command more GOP support than Cruz . Bush has formed an 'exploratory committee ' for his bid , while Walker has yet to announce . In comparison , Wisconsin governor Scott Walker took 18 per cent , former Florida governor Jeb Bush won 16 , with three other hopefuls still polling better than Cruz . However wins the Republican nomination will still have to win out against the Democratic contender , most likely Hillary Clinton , to take the White House next year . Nobody else has outright declared an intention to run yet . However , MSNBC reported last week that Rand Paul is planning to announce on April 7 . The Kentucky senator will reportedly make the direct announcement is Louisville , which would give Cruz a two-week head start .
Texas senator will reportedly declare his candidacy in Virginia on Monday . Nobody else has officially announced a bid yet , though GOP field is busy . Hillary Clinton and Scott Walker both command strong support in the party . Cruz aides reportedly admit he has low support in Washington , but hope he will play well in crucial states like Iowa , New Hampshire and South Carolina . Kentucky Senator Rand Paul will reportedly announce on April 7 . Whoever wins GOP nomination will probably have to face Jeb Bush .