Just saying— if he used Standard Deductions, he wouldn’t show ANY itemized deductions. I do church books and I do taxes, and your scenario doesn’t fit. Folks itemize as many deductions as they legally can, or they don’t itemize any at all. 1% is an honest percent. If that’s what Cruz gave, that’s what he gave. Does his presidency stand or fall on that?
Not everyone deducts tithes - it kind of goes to the Scriptural discussion about giving or serving to be seen doing so - “they already have their reward”. I’m just saying that going by the tax returns for church giving is not a reliable indicator. For example, I give a lot in cash at church in the offering, and I rarely use the giving envelope that tracks the giving so I would get a statement. So if you looked at my charitable giving on my tax return, it would not be an accurate picture of what I actually gave.