Cruz downplays 2016 speculation

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a rising GOP star, downplayed speculation over a possible 2016 presidential bid, saying he was focused on his job in the Senate.

“We are having a national debate about which direction the country should go…and what I am doing now is trying to participate in that national debate,” Cruz told ABC News in an interview aired Sunday. “I’m not focused on the politics…the last office I was elected to was student council. So this has been a bit of a whirlwind.”

{mosads}The Tea Party favorite spoke from Iowa, where he addressed a gathering of conservatives in the nation’s first caucus state. 

Cruz is also scheduled to headline a fundraiser for the New Hampshire GOP on Aug. 23, and has already visited early-primary state South Carolina, fueling speculation that he may be weighing a presidential bid. 

Cruz, though, was born in Canada, leading many to question his constitutional eligibility for the Oval Office.  

“My mother was born in Wilmington, Delaware. She’s a U.S. citizen, so I’m a U.S. citizen,” Cruz told ABC about those questions. 

“I’m not going to engage in a legal debate,” said Cruz. “The facts are clear.”

“I can tell you where I was born and who my parents were. And then as a legal matter, others can worry about that. I’m not going to engage,” he added.