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Ted Cruz Releases Birth Certificate Amid Eligibility Discussion

Ted Cruz Releases His Birth Certificate
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Managing Editor, Breaking News, HuffPost

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released his birth certificate on Sunday in an effort to curb speculation that he is ineligible to run for president.

The document, published by the Dallas Morning News, confirms that Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta to an American mother, immediately making Cruz a citizen of both the United States and Canada. As the Morning News points out, that means Cruz could run for office in Canada unless he later decided to renounce his Canadian citizenship.

However, Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier denied the senator's dual citizenship.

“Senator Cruz became a U.S. citizen at birth, and he never had to go through a naturalization process after birth to become a U.S. citizen,” Frazier said. “To our knowledge, he never had Canadian citizenship, so there is nothing to renounce.”

Cruz, first elected to the Senate last fall, has sparked early presidential speculation by making visits to key primary states like Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire. He's also courted Republican donors at GOP functions in New York City and his home state of Texas.

Under the U.S. constitution, only "natural born" citizens are eligible to run for president. While this definition includes individuals born overseas to an American parent -- like Cruz -- some have continued to raise questions about the freshman senator's eligibility for office if he chooses to run in 2016.

During an appearance on ABC's "This Week" earlier this month, business mogul and unapologetic skeptic of President Barack Obama's birth certificate Donald Trump suggested that Cruz was "perhaps not" allowed to run for higher office.

"I don't know the circumstances. I heard somebody told me he was born in Canada. That's really his thing," Trump said.

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Before You Go

Sen. Ted Cruz
(01 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) left, greets Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) after introducing her at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Saturday, March 16, 2013. Diehard activists at the three-day conference are already picking favorites in what could be a crowded Republican presidential primary in 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (credit:AP)
(02 of17)
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FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013 file photo Armed Services committee member, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), questions former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), President Barack Obama's choice for defense secretary, during Hagel's confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Weeks into his job, Texas Republicans are cheering Cruz's indelicate debut and embracing him as one of their own. The insurgent Republican elected with the tea party's blessing and bankroll, has run afoul of GOP mainstays, and prompted Democrats to compare his style to McCarthyism. Also seen from left are Sen.s Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Mike Lee, R-Utah. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) (credit:AP)
(03 of17)
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Ted Cruz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (credit:AP)
(04 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks to the media, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012, in Houston a day after defeating Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a runoff. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:AP)
(05 of17)
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 13: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) holds a news conference to announce their plan to defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, at the U.S. Capitol March 13, 2013 in Washington, DC. Although Cruz and his fellow sponsors expect the legislation to fail, they believe it is an important survey of who supports health care reform. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(06 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz of (R-Texas) addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (credit:AP)
(07 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) answers questions from the media at a voting precinct Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in Houston. Cruz faces Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Republican primary runoff election for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:AP)
(08 of17)
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Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) answers a question during an event held by the Austin Chamber of Commerce in Austin, Texas on Friday, April 5, 2013. Titled "A Conversation with Senator Ted Cruzon Business Issues," the event was held at the Four Seasons hotel and featured moderator John Holmes who asked Sen. Cruz questions from the audience. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Deborah Cannon) AUSTIN CHRONICLE OUT, COMMUNITY IMPACT OUT, MAGS OUT; NO SALES; INTERNET AND TV MUST CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND STATESMAN.COM (credit:AP)
(09 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks to the Spring Branch Republican Club Monday, Nov. 5, 2012, in Houston. Cruz is running against Democrat Paul Sadler to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (credit:AP)
(10 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) arrives to speak at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Saturday, March 16, 2013. Diehard activists at the three-day conference are already picking favorites in what could be a crowded Republican presidential primary in 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (credit:AP)
(11 of17)
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WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 22: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) listens to testimony during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on April 22, 2013 in Washington, DC.The committee is hearing testimony on border security, economic opportunities and the Immigration Modernization Act. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(12 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) debates Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, not shown, at the King Street Patriots event hall, Monday, July 23, 2012, in Houston. The two Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate have repeatedly torn into each other during the third debate as early voting began across Texas. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Michael Paulsen) (credit:AP)
(13 of17)
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 13: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) holds a news conference to announce their plan to defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, at the U.S. Capitol March 13, 2013 in Washington, DC. Although Cruz and his fellow sponsors expect the legislation to fail, they believe it is an important survey of who supports health care reform. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(14 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) waves as he arrives at a polling station to speak to media and voters in Dallas, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. Cruz faces Democratic candidate Paul Sadler for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by fellow Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (credit:AP)
(15 of17)
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Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Monday, April 1, 2013. Cruz, along with other Republican officials, announced that they believe that Medicaid is a broken system, and that expanding it under the Affordable Care Act is the wrong move for Texas. Shown, from left, are Governor Rick Perry, US Senator John Cornyn and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Deborah Cannon) (credit:AP)
(16 of17)
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) talks with a reporter outside the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill March 22, 2013 in Washington, DC. The Senate voted on amendments to the budget resolution on Friday afternoon and into the evening. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(17 of17)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), left, smiles as he listens to campaign chief consultant Jason Johnson go over election results as they come in Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, in Houston. Cruz is running against Democrat Paul Sadler to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (credit:AP)
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