Ted grew up in Texas. His father, Rafael, fled Cuba after being tortured and imprisoned and came to Texas with just $100 sewn into his underwear. Rafael got a job washing dishes making 50 cents an hour and learned English. He worked hard and attended the University of Texas at Austin, earning a degree in mathematics. He later started a small business in the oil and gas industry. Today, Rafael is a pastor in Dallas.
Sen. Cruz believes school choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century, and has been a leading advocate for school choice in the Senate. In December of 2017, Sen. Cruz introduced the Student Opportunity Amendment to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was signed into law. The amendment expands 529 College Savings Plans to include K-12 elementary and secondary school tuition for public, private, and religious schools. Throughout the pandemic, he has urged his colleagues to focus on solutions that will help get Texans back to work and Texas students safely back into the classrooms for in-person learning.