Ted Cruz: 'Running for office is real simple: You just surgically disconnect your shame sensor'

Ted Cruz
(Image credit: Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

Nearly 20 declared and potential Republican presidential candidates converged on New Hampshire this weekend for the two-day Republican Leadership Summit. Among them was Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who offered this surprisingly frank description of presidential politics to gun owners and activists at a hunting club event on Sunday, as reported by Politico.

"I've told my six-year-old daughter, 'Running for office is real simple: You just surgically disconnect your shame sensor,'" he said. "Because you spend every day asking people for money. You walk up and say, 'How are you doing, sir? Can I have money? Great to see you, lovely shirt, please give me money.' That’s what running for office is like." [Politico]

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Ben Frumin

Ben Frumin is the former editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com.