Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are facing challenges alleging they don’t qualify for the Indiana primary ballot because they aren’t “natural born citizens.” The Indiana Election Commission is scheduled to take up those challenges Friday, along with the question of whether U.S. Senate candidate Todd Young submitted enough signatures to qualify for the May 3 primary ballot. Most legal scholars agree that Cruz and Rubio meet the U.S. Constitution’s eligibility requirement. Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father, while Rubio was born in Florida to Cuban immigrants.
But Richard Carter, an 85-year-old from Madison who usually votes in Republican primaries, argues in a one-page letter to the Indiana secretary of state that Cruz and Rubio don’t meet the Constitution’s “natural born” requirement. Carter did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Bob Kern, a perpetual candidate for Congress and convicted felon, is also challenging Cruz’s candidacy. “If he wants to be president,” Kern said in a phone interview, “he should run in Canada.”
Cruz’s eligibility has become a major talking point on the national campaign trail, largely thanks to Republican front-runner Donald Trump. The billionaire real estate mogul and reality TV star has questioned Cruz’s eligibility because he was born in Canada.
Full Article: Cruz, Rubio presidential candidacies face citizenship challenges in Indiana.