Ted Cruz can officially run for Canadian Parliament

Ted Cruz, Conservative MP? It could happen, according to the Texas senator's recently released birth certificate.

Ted Cruz
(Image credit: Illustration by Lauren Hansen | Images courtesy Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, Thinkstock)

Like President Barack Obama before him, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has released a copy of his birth certificate to the press, proving that he is, in fact, a citizen of the United States. The document, given to The Dallas Morning News, shows that Cruz, whose father is of Cuban heritage, was born in 1970 in Calgary, Alberta, to an American mother.

That makes him an American citizen at birth, meaning that he is eligible to run for president of the United States, according to a scholarly investigation by the Congressional Research Service. (Technically, someone could challenge his candidacy in court.) Indeed, Cruz's decision to release the certificate is the latest evidence that he is mulling a run in 2016.

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Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.