Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is the first in for 2016.
“I'm running for President and I hope to earn your support!” Cruz announced on Twitter early Monday. The conservative Republican famed for his staunch opposition to the president's signature health care law and his executive actions on immigration will announce the start of his campaign at an address at Liberty University in Virginia later in the day, making him the first presidential candidate to formally announce a White House run.
A favorite of Tea Party activists, Cruz is known for his filibuster-like speech to protest the Affordable Care Act as a government shutdown loomed in 2013.
First elected to the Senate in 2012, Cruz previously served as the the solicitor general of Texas.
In a March NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll, 40 percent of GOP primary voters said they could see themselves supporting Cruz for president, while 38 percent said they could not see themselves backing him.
The news of Cruz's run was first reported by the Houston Chronicle late Saturday night.
— Carrie Dann, Mark Murray and Andrew Rafferty