Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said that political contributions were a form of free speech protected by the Constitution's First Amendment,
The Washington Post reported.
"I believe in free speech and the First Amendment, which means everyone here has a right to speak out in politics as effectively as possible," Cruz said. "To speak out and make your views known, whether that is standing on a street corner on a soap box, whether that is printing out a yard sign, whether that is spending money to run a radio ad or a TV ad, effectively communicating."
Cruz, a contender for the GOP's 2016 presidential nomination, made the remarks while campaigning in New Hampshire.
The right to donate money was one and the same as the right to speak freely, he said.
"Money absolutely can be speech from Day One," Cruz said.
He has said that direct campaign contributions need to be transparent. At the same time, concerns about the role of money in politics cannot invalidate the constitutional right to free speech, according to
The Huffington Post.
"Right now, the [campaign finance] system is crazy," said Cruz.
Cruz, who said he was looking "very seriously" at a presidential run, has his own Stand for Principle PAC. He has been traveling through early primary states Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire in the past week.
Caps on direct donations have necessitated the creation of political action committees which allow individuals to indirectly support candidates. Cruz has offered legislation that would do away with campaign finance limits likely making such PACs unnecessary, the Post reported.
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