We really don't know. SCOTUS has yet to define what is meant by a "natural born citizen." We need that question resolved sooner rather than later. They had a opportunity to do that with Obama. The Senate commissioned Olsen and Tribe to come up with an opinion on McCain. You can read their decision here" They eventually issued a resolution saying McCain was eligible. If you read their conclusions, they include Obama and say he was natural born because he was born on US soil. McCain was born in Panama.
I have some problems with the Olson/Tribe conclusions, which support both jus sanguinis and jus solis as natural born citizens. One out of every 10 births in this country is to an illegal alien parent. Under US law, birthright citizenship, if you are born on US territory, you are automatically a citizen. Hence anyone born on US soil could run for President. Is that what the Founders meant?
I don't want to get too far into the legal weeds with you on this issue, but there was quite a controversy at the time over Chester Arthur's eligibility for the Presidency under the Constitution because his father was not an American citizen at the time he was born and that he was born in Canada.
I can see this issue coming to the fore the closer Cruz gets to the top of the pile. I wonder if the Reps in Congress will push for another legal opinion to have a similar resolution issued for Cruz.
It matters not what the intent of the founders was. Our legal system has evolved to control by precedent. “Stare-Decisis” is the order of the day — *not* what congress or some other politician, pundit, historian or community standards my opine otherwise.
Like it or not, 0bama has set the precedent. As long as one of your parents was a citizen, then you are too. Even if that parent was a minor. As far as proof goes, an obviously digitally manipulated image of a birth certificate is adequate. Even with that shaky set of bonafides, there has been no comnpetent authority at any level (local, state, federal, martian) who has expressed the least bit of interest in challenging 0bama, beyond a scattering of isolated lip-flapping with no actionable intent.
So, given all that, who do you honestly expect will challenge Cruz?
I’ll go you one better, let’s say for the sake of argument that Cruz is an outright illegal alien — admitted, documented, proven. I’d still vote for him, even if I had to write his name in compared to everyone else running GOP, DEM, Libertarian, Green or any other party affiliation. I personally do not care what Cruz’s citizenship status is, he is far more qualified and is the sole candidate with the nations bests interests at heart. I can’t think of any other candidate that this nation more desperately needs.