Meet Heidi Cruz: 10 Facts About Heidi Cruz, Wife Of Republican Presidential Candidate, Ted Cruz
Meet Heidi Cruz, the wife of Republican presidential candidate, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. As her husband’s presidential run gains momentum with the ever-increasing competition against GOP front-runner, Donald Trump, people are growing more interested in Mrs. Cruz. Who is she, and what are some facts about her?
Learn 10 essential facts about Heidi Cruz, a woman in position to possibly be the nation’s next first lady.
- Heidi Cruz was born August 7, 1972 in San Luis Obispo, California, N4BB reports.
- Heidi spent her childhood years in Africa with her missionary parents, USA Today reports. She started a bread-baking venture with her brother in grade school. According to an article by The Washington Post, Mrs. Cruz always knew public service of some kind was her calling. A family trip to Washington during the Reagan administration is where her passion for politics was born.
- Ted and Heidi Cruz married in May 2001. They have two daughters — Catherine and Caroline, ages 4 and 6, respectively.
- Heidi Cruz holds several roles in finance. She joined the investment firm, Goldman Sachs, in 2005 and is now its acting managing director. She runs the Houston wealth management unit, which oversees portfolios for clients with an average net worth of $40 million.
- Mrs. Cruz worked for the Bush administration before she joined Goldman Sachs. In fact, she met Ted when the two were working on George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign. Cruz was assigned to the candidate’s economic policy.
- Heidi initially turned down a job with Goldman after finishing Harvard Business School so she could be part of the Bush campaign. According to N4BB, Mrs. Cruz also graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a B.A. in Economics and International Relations and the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium with a Masters in European Business.
- After George W. Bush’s victory, she landed jobs with the U.S. trade representative and with Condoleezza Rice on the National Security Council.
- Heidi Cruz moved from Washington for Houston in 2004 her husband could pursue politics in Texas.
- Heidi is a different type of conservative than her husband, friends say. The Washington Times reports that P. Edward Haley, a professor of international strategic studies at Claremont McKenna College and one of Mrs. Cruz’s mentors, opened up about the Texas senator’s wife.
The professor says Ted is more like the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia — “hard-nosed and unapologetic,” whereas his wife is able to “reach across the aisle” to get things done.
“Ted’s a debater and was groomed to succeed in polarizing and particularizing issues. He’s a hyperbolic speaker, and that’s not quite Heidi,” Haley said. “My take on Heidi’s politics is she never was as radical as Ted on some of these issues. She’s a businesswoman, a successful businesswoman, and she makes things work. She gets people to talk to each other and doesn’t want to polarize them from the get-go. It’s a different brand of conservatism than her husband’s.”
- Heidi Cruz is an emotional center of the Cruz household as a wife, mother, and professional. She’s her husband’s most trusted political adviser.
In summing up the 10 facts about Heidi Cruz, she’s clearly a well-established businesswoman and poised public figure. If she becomes the country’s next first lady, she’ll fit the mold perfectly with her intense background and experience in public service. Regardless of the political views many may hold for Ted Cruz, his wife is already groomed to be the kind of first lady America would be proud of.
[Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images]
