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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Alice Stewart
News Release Catherine Frazier
March 18, 2016

Catholic Leaders Endorse Ted Cruz for President

Cruz Welcomes Endorsements from Catholic Influencers

HOUSTON, Texas – Presidential candidate Ted Cruz today announced endorsements from more than 50 Catholic leaders, including activists, public servants, pro-life advocates, clergy, and business leaders. Dr. Robert P. George and Ken Cuccinelli are co-chairs of the initiative, leading Cruz’s outreach in the Catholic community.
 
“For centuries, the Catholic Church has been an unwavering voice for life, marriage, and religious liberty,” said Cruz. “These three issues have been central to my campaign since the very beginning, and I have been proud to stand with Catholics in the fight to protect the dignity of every life, the sacrament of marriage, and the First Amendment right to religious liberty. In an age when the Obama administration has the audacity to sue the Little Sisters of the Poor, it has never been more critical to stand with those who have dedicated their lives to the service of the Church and its mission of loving the whole world. Especially in this Year of Mercy, we have an opportunity to protect the most vulnerable and safeguard the truth revealed through Scripture and the tradition of millennia.”
 
Dr. Robert George praised Cruz for his loyalty to the rule of law and the principles of a free society. “No one has been stronger than Ted in standing up for religious liberty and other fundamental constitutional freedoms. …He will foster a culture, from the top down, that honors the Constitution – the one thing that, despite our differences, binds us all together as Americans,” said Professor George.    
 
“In addition to his exceptional Constitutional credentials, Ted Cruz is a candidate with specific foreign policy proposals to defend persecuted Christians abroad,” said Ken Cuccinelli. “At a time when people of faith are under severe attack internationally, we need a president whose foreign policy priorities will leverage America’s leadership to defend the defenseless.”
 
“I am very pleased to give my personal endorsement to Ted Cruz for President of the United States,” Monsignor Ed Lofton, Parish Priest at St. Theresa Catholic Church in South Carolina, said. “I have followed Ted’s time in office and know that he governs grounded in the essential value of protecting life and liberty for all peoples. I am confident that Ted has the intelligence and the will to lead our nation in a positive direction. The Church must not be silent as the nation chooses the leaders who will shape its future. I am personally working for the election of Ted Cruz, and I urge fellow Catholics to join me in giving Ted Cruz our support and our votes.” 
 
“Ted Cruz has been a tireless fighter for the most vulnerable among us – starting with the unborn,” said Jason Jones, a pro-life activist and filmmaker. “Ted Cruz has defended the sanctity of life at the Supreme Court, has worked to defund Planned Parenthood in Congress, and I am confident that as president he will create a culture of life.”
 
“While many candidates have sadly conceded on the issue of marriage, Ted Cruz has courageously denounced the Supreme Court’s decision,” said Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage. “He has upheld marriage as a sacrament, recognizing that it is foundational to all civilizations. As Catholic institutions are facing increasing threats of fines and punishment for living by the teachings of the Church, we need a leader who has proven he won’t back down – that he will always stand for our God-given liberties so that individuals, the Church, and communities are free to practice the faith, hope, and charity that uplifts all members of our society.”
 
The following Catholic leaders have endorsed and are among those building support for Cruz within the Catholic community. More than 45,000 Americans, from a broad spectrum of religious traditions, have joined the campaign’s Faith and Religious Liberty Coalition. Titles and any affiliations of all endorsers are provided for identification purposes only.
 
Co-Chair Dr. Robert P. George
McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
 
Co-Chair Ken Cuccinelli
Former Virginia Attorney General
 
Greg and Cecilia Abbott
Governor and First Lady of Texas
 
Ryan T Anderson, Ph.D.
Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation 
 
Bradley Birzer, Ph.D.
Co-founder, The Imaginative Conservative
Russell Amos Kirk Chair in History, Hillsdale College
 
Marcella Burke
Conservative Activist
 
Brent Bozell
Founder and President, Media Research Center
 
Brian Brown
President, National Organization for Marriage
 
Stephen and Cristina Cox
Conservative Activists
 
Al DelTufo
NJ Catholics for Cruz Outreach Director
 
John Eastman
Chairman of the Board, National Organization for Marriage
The Claremont Institute, Senior Fellow and Founding Director, Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence
 
Barbara Elliott
President, Center for Cultural Renewal, Professor, Houston Baptist College
 
W. Winston Elliott III
President, Free Enterprise Institute, Co-Founder, The Imaginative Conservative
 
Jack Fowler    
Publisher, National Review
 
Matthew Franck
Director, Simon Center on Religion and the Constitution, Witherspoon Institute
 
Joe Fulwiler
President, Fulwiler Law Firm, P.C.
 
Martin Gillespie
Director of Catholic Outreach, Republican National Committee (2003-2006)
 
U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar
 
Jacqeline Halbig vonSchleppenbach
Sovereign Global Solutions, religious liberty litigant
 
Shak Hill
Past Grand Knight, Knights of Columbus, former candidate for U.S. Senate  
 
U.S. Congressman Tim Huelskamp
 
John Jakubczyk
Past President, Arizona Right to Life
 
Jason Jones
Movie to Movement, activist/filmmaker
 
Jennifer Kimball Watson
Executive Director, Culture of Life Foundation
 
U.S. Congressman Steve King
 
Robert Koons
Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas Austin
 
Adam Laxalt
Nevada Attorney General
 
Esther Lebanshak
Parish Council President, St. Mary's Parish
Ocean County Chair, Cruz for President
 
Ed Lofton
Parish Priest, St. Theresa Catholic Church, Propagation of the Faith for the Diocese of Charleston, State Chaplain of Knights of Columbus 4th degree South Carolina
 
Steve Lonegan
New Jersey State Chairman, Cruz for President, member of the Knights of Columbus
 
Josh Lynch
Former National Director, Catholics for McCain
 
Ted Meehan
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Catholics Network
 
Maureen Mooney
The Founder's Academy, former State Representative
 
Melissa Moschella
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
 
Barbara Nicolsi
Screenwriter
 
William O'Connell
Bonadventure Partners
 
Dr. Ronald Pestritto
Graduate Dean, Hillsdale College
 
Steve and Debbie Pfeifer
President and CFO, P.O. & G. Operating, LLC
 
Dan Proft
Writer at The Spectator, Morning Drive Radio Talk Show Host, AM 560 The Answer
 
John Radell
Christian Citizens United
 
Jonathan Saenz
President, Texas Values
 
Terry Schilling
Executive Director, American Principles Project
 
Bobby Schindler
President, Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network
 
Anne Schlafly Cori
State President, Missouri Eagle Forum
 
Matt Smith
President, Catholic Advocate
 
George Strake
Former Texas Secretary of State
 
Virginia "Ginni" Thomas
Conservative Activist
 
Trey Trainor
Partner, Beirne, Maynard and Parsons, L.L.P.,
Parish Council, St. Mary Cathedral, Diocese of Austin
 
Michael Uhlmann
Professor of Government, Claremont Graduate University
 
Richard Viguerie
Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com
 
Kevin Vost, Ph.D.
Author and Speaker
 
Christopher and Mary Anne Yep
President & CEO, Vice President, TRIUNE Health Group
 
John Zmirak
Author, Bad Catholic's Guide to the Catechism
 

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