Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he is now taking steps to officially renounce his Canadian citizenship.
In an interview with the Dallas Morning News published Saturday, the freshman senator said he hoped to complete the legal procedure in 2014.
“I have retained counsel that is preparing the paperwork to renounce the citizenship," Cruz said.
Cruz released his birth certificate to the Morning News in August in an effort to curb speculation that he is not a natural born citizen (and therefore ineligible to run for president in the U.S.). However, the newspaper pointed out that the circumstances of Cruz's birth -- he was born in Calgary, Alberta to an American mother -- meant he likely retained citizenship in both the U.S. and Canada.
"Now the Dallas Morning News says that I may technically have dual citizenship," Cruz said in a statement. "Assuming that is true, then sure, I will renounce any Canadian citizenship. Nothing against Canada, but I'm an American by birth and as a U.S. senator; I believe I should be only an American."
Cruz, who was first elected to the Senate last fall, has stoked speculation that he will run for president in 2016 by making appearances in early primary states and courting major GOP donors at fundraisers.
However, in the Morning News interview, Cruz denied that his decision to renounce his citizenship had any implications for his political future.
"My political perspective is focused on representing the state of Texas," he said.
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