Just four months after taking his seat in the U.S. Senate, tea party favorite Ted Cruz is to headline a fundraising dinner in a key presidential primary state.
The May 3 appearance in South Carolina is a clear indication that the Texas Republican has bigger things on his mind as early as 2016.
South Carolina holds the second primary in the nation after New Hampshire.
Cruz will speak at the South Carolina Republican Party’s Silver Elephant Dinner in the Palmetto State capital of Columbia,
CNN reports. Former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, an early Cruz backer who left Congress to head the conservative Heritage Foundation at the end of last year, will be honored.
Vice President Joe Biden will appear in Columbia at the South Carolina Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, on the same night, CNN reports.
As for Cruz, his speaking services have been in high demand from Republicans since he took office. He has made appearances in Washington and in Ohio.
“His popularity among the activists in South Carolina is already so huge he was a natural choice for the Silver Elephant,” someone involved in the event told CNN. “Our activists have been begging us to bring him. He is a rising star.”
Silver Elephant organizers have made it a priority over the years to bring in potential presidential candidates.
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