Robert George endorses Cruz '92

University’s McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence Robert George has publicly endorsed Texas Senator Ted Cruz ’92 for the Republican presidential nomination.

George is also theChair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

George noted that Cruz’s strong record of defending the Constitution was a major reason for his support of the Texan senator.

George advised Cruz for one of his junior papers and for Cruz's senior thesis.

“I believe that restoring a sound understanding of the Constitution and a national commitment to live by the Constitution as it is — not as we wish it would be — is the highest priority,” George said. “And Senator Cruz has always been a Constitutionalist... he is willing to live by the Constitution and not simply pay lip service to it.”

George specifically pointed out Cruz’s belief in restoring a national commitment to the Separation of Powers doctrine and to the Dual Sovereignty doctrine of the national and state governments — two principles that, in George’s view, have fallen into neglect in recent times.

“In Ted, I believe we would have a president that understands and appreciates the limits of the power of his own office,” George said.

In response to criticism that Cruz does not seem to be an agreeable candidate, George pointed out the many personal instances he witnessed of Cruz being open to discussion during the advising process.

“There would often be times when we would just be working on his independent projects, when to see how far an argument could be defended, he or I would adopt the position of the devil’s advocate and argue very strenuously for a position that did not happen to be one that we held,” George said. “His willingness and ability to do that very well impressed me, even then when he was 19 years old.”

In a public announcement published on Cruz’s official presidential campaign website in response to George’s endorsement, Cruz expressed his gratitude for George’s support and his admiration for his former professor.

“[Professor George] represents the vibrancy of thought in Christianity, and I’ve been grateful to fight alongside him for years in defending our God-given rights,” Cruz stated. “We are delighted to have his leadership as we continue to make this election a referendum on our constitutional liberties.”

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Cruz did not respond to requests for comment.

Cruz's campaign office did not respond for comment.

George’s open support for Cruz comes after a public statement spearheaded by George in coalition with more than 30 conservative Catholic leaders which condemned the presidential nomination of GOP candidate Donald Trump.

In that letter, published by the National Review, George and his cosignatories declared that there is nothing in Trump’s campaign or his previous record that gives grounds for confidence that he genuinely shares commitments to the right to life, to religious freedom and the rights of conscience, to rebuilding the marriage culture or to subsidiarity and the principle of limited constitutional government.

Cruz's campaign, however, is not without its controversy in regards to promoting religious freedom.

The latest news, as noted in an article on theintercept.com, is that a number of Cruz’s advisers, including Frank Gaffney, are members of the Center for Security Policy, a think tank that the Southern Poverty Law Center has referred to as an "extremist group" because of its alleged "anti-Muslim bigotry.”

George noted Cruz’s consistent dedication to promoting religious freedom, both domestically and internationally, and added that he believes Cruz is a presidential candidate who would protect core beliefs of the Catholic faith even though Cruz himself is not Catholic.

To George, these core Catholic principles include “the protection of the sanctity of human life in all stages and conditions, standing up for marriage in the family as the conjugal union of husband and wife, religious freedom and the rights of conscience.”