LYNCHBURG, Virginia — In what was clearly meant to be an attack on Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign, announced shortly after midnight, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) may have accidentally admitted that it’s worried about a Cruz GOP presidential campaign—noting in an email to supporters that his announcement “sent shivers down” their spines.
“If you’re like us, just reading that phrase probably sent shivers down your spine or produced a pretty serious roll of the eyes,” the DNC said in what it calls a “Factivist” email to supporters early on Monday. “But as of this moment, Texas Senator Ted Cruz is officially running for president, and if we don’t do everything in our power to stop him, the possibility of President Ted Cruz could become a reality.”
It listed out three things the Democrats want their base to think about Cruz.
“He led the GOP’s government shutdown, costing the economy a staggering $24 billion, as part of a personal crusade to take away quality health care from millions of Americans and give control back to the insurance companies,” the DNC email stated. “He has obstructed everything from raising the minimum wage to paycheck fairness to immigration reform. He would give corporations and the richest Americans huge tax breaks, at the expense of working Americans.”
The email concluded by encouraging Democratic activists to sign up for DNC lists, and get involved in their “Factivists” program.
Cruz became the first high profile 2016 presidential candidate for the White House to announce his campaign, and did so via Twitter–a first. Even Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), an establishment Republican who previously called Cruz a “wackobird” and has endorsed Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for president, acknowledged it’s very possible Cruz may win the Republican nomination. During an interview on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday before Cruz’s announcement, McCain said he would back Cruz should he win the GOP nomination.