Ted Cruz releases his birth certificate

Donald Trump, among others, had raised questions about the senator's Canadian birth

Published August 19, 2013 1:53PM (EDT)

In an attempt to fend off speculation that he might be ineligible to run for president in 2016 because he was born in Canada, Sen. Ted Cruz has released his birth certificate.

The birth certificate, released to the Dallas Morning News, shows that Cruz was born in Calgary, in Alberta, but immediately received dual citizenship because his mother was a U.S. citizen.

From the Morning News:

Unless the Texas Republican senator formally renounces that citizenship, he will remain a citizen of both countries, legal experts say.

That means he could assert the right to vote in Canada or even run for Parliament. On a lunch break from the U.S. Senate, he could head to the nearby embassy — the one flying a bright red maple leaf flag — pull out his Calgary, Alberta, birth certificate and obtain a passport.

“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,” Cruz spokesman Catherine Frazier said. “To our knowledge, he never had Canadian citizenship, so there is nothing to renounce."

Cruz, who has made two recent visits to Iowa, is potentially gearing up for a run for president in 2016. But, just like for President Obama, there have been some who questioned Cruz's status as a "natural born" American citizen. The most recent was Donald Trump, who told Salon last week that Cruz “would have to explain that. Maybe he’s got a good answer — and maybe he doesn’t.”


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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2016 Elections Birthers Donald Trump Ted Cruz Texas