In an effort to gain tactical advantage by being first onto the Republican presidential primary field, Sen. Ted Cruz announced his presidential campaign nine minutes after midnight on Twitter. “I’m running for President and I hope to earn your support!” he tweeted along with releasing a 30-second campaign video.“ But Cruz faces long odds in scoring the GOP nomination. "A CNN/ORC International poll released last week showed Mr. Paul among the early top tier of Republican Party hopefuls with Mr. Bush and Mr. Walker, while Mr. Cruz was far behind,” The Washington Times reports. “Just 4 percent of Republican voters said Mr. Cruz would be their first choice for president. … Mr. Cruz has not received more than 6 percent in any Republican primary poll this year, according to Real Clear Politics data.” Announcing early will help churn up press coverage and conservative donors for the Cruz campaign – something he needs if he’s going to beat out candidates like Sen. Rand Paul, who is expected to formally announce his own candidacy in early April. More…

I’m running for President and I hope to earn your support! pic.twitter.com/0UTqaIoytP

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 23, 2015