In a move that’s already fanning the flames of speculation that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has presidential ambitions, the freshman Republican will be the keynote speaker at the GOP’s Silver Elephant dinner in the crucial early primary state of South Carolina next month.
CNN first reported the news.
Cruz, a tea party favorite, has made waves during his first three months in the Senate, and is seen as a likely presidential contender at some point in the future.
In February, Cruz made a trip to Ohio for the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County’s 21st Annual Lincoln Day Celebration. The Buckeye State has long been seen as a must-win for any Republican seeking the presidency.
The Canadian-born Cruz’s eligibility to run for president has been questioned on occasion, but he and his staff say he is still a natural-born U.S. citizen, a statement that is apparently borne out by U.S. law.
The May 3 dinner will be his first foray into an early primary state.
South Carolinians will get an early taste of 2016 the night that Cruz speaks. Also in town that night is Vice President and possible 2016 contender Joe Biden, who will headline the South Carolina Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.