Free Republic

America's Future Fund, a political action committee that opposed Sen. Ted Cruz in Iowa, has purchased $1.5 million in negative advertising against Cruz that will run on television in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 20th South Carolina primary. The ad, "Weak," attempts to discredit Cruz's national security bona fides in a state with a heavy military and veteran population. America's Future Fund is run by GOP establishment operative Nick Ryan. As CR's Rob Eno wrote in "Why The Establishment Fears Cruz More Than Trump": "Ryan is a longstanding force in Iowa politics, allied with the moderate Governor Branstad....

Texas Senator Ted Cruz might only be in the first year of his first term in U.S. Senate, but he is already igniting the imaginations of Iowa Republicans who view him as strong presidential candidate in 2016 should he choose to run. Cruz was in Des Moines on Friday to address the Iowa Renewal Project, an annual weekend gathering of Iowa pastors and religious leaders. Cruz also attended a picnic fundraiser for the Republican Party of Iowa, and met with Republican activists and operatives during his first foray into Iowa. Cruz downplayed the significance of his trip to Iowa in...