U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, officially became the first person to run for the 2016 presidential election. Cruz, who was born in Canada through a Cuban father and American mother, confirmed his candidacy on Twitter shortly after 12 a.m. EST Monday.

The tweet, posted at 12:09 a.m., said, "I'm running for President and I hope to earn your support!"

The tweet was accompanied with a 30-second video narrated by Cruz. He says in the video, "It's a time for truth. A time to rise to the challenge just as Americans have always done. I believe in America and her people, and I believe we can stand up and restore our promise. It's going to take a new generation of courageous conservatives to help make America great again, and I'm ready to stand with you to lead the fight."

The video concludes with the message "Paid for by Cruz for President."

As Latin Post reported, polling data among Republican and Independent American voters showed Cruz as their eighth choice for the Republican candidate in the 2016 election, trailing behind former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, current Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, neurologist Ben Carson, current New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and fellow Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.

Cruz's announcement comes less than a day after California Gov. Jerry Brown said Cruz is "unfit" to run for president. "That man betokens such a level of ignorance and a direct falsification of the existing scientific data. It's shocking and I think that man has rendered himself absolutely unfit to be running for office," Brown said, whose state is home to the largest U.S. population.

Cruz, currently serving his first term as U.S. senator, has been against the Obama administration on immigration. While Cruz said he supports "legal" immigration, he has opposed President Barack Obama's immigration executive actions, including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability programs. Cruz also opposes the Affordable Care Act, also referred to as Obamacare, and the latest Net Neutrality rules set for the the independent Federal Communications Commission.

Cruz is expected to formally launch his presidential bid during a speech at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Monday morning.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.