Congressman [score]Justin Amash[/score] (R-MI) represents Michigan’s conservative heartland in the Grand Rapids area. He is a popular conservative libertarian politician who has made it his professional goal to end cronyism and preserve the constitution. He had previously endorsed and campaigned hard for Senator [score]Rand Paul[/score] (R-KY), but upon Paul’s exit Amash began searching for a new “horse” to back. He’s finally settled on a candidate, and he recently took to his Facebook page to explain why he was endorsing Senator [score]Ted Cruz[/score] (R-TX) for President.

As a libertarian Republican, I have spent several months promoting the candidacy of my friend Senator Rand Paul, who is, in my view, the most passionate defender of our rights on the national stage today. Since his departure from the presidential race, I’ve been asked many times: what now?

It’s easy to withdraw from politics when the positions and priorities of the candidates do not precisely mirror our own. But we owe it to our beliefs to find constitutional conservative political allies who not only respect our philosophy but also fight for our views to be heard.

Trending: MO Public School Pushes Transgender Propaganda

We have found such an ally in Senator Ted Cruz.

Ted is not a libertarian and doesn’t claim to be. But he is a principled defender of the Constitution, a brilliant strategist and debater who can defeat the Democratic nominee in the general election, and the only remaining candidate I trust to take on what he correctly calls the Washington Cartel.

The recent passing of Justice Antonin Scalia reminds us of the importance of electing a president committed to nominating justices to the Supreme Court who will uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law. Because the Court has not lost a conservative in many years, this selection may become the most influential act of the next president. Replacing Justice Scalia with a poorly chosen justice could alter our country’s identity on critical issues such as education, health care, criminal justice, privacy, and even the very meaning of the Constitution.

In this regard, history has given us a uniquely qualified candidate—Ted Cruz served as a Supreme Court clerk (an extraordinarily selective job held each year by fewer than 40 lawyers who work directly with the justices to shape the Court’s opinions) and has the rare distinction of having argued many cases before the Supreme Court. The importance of these credentials cannot be overstated in the current context.

But the Supreme Court is not the only thing at stake. Our entire constitutional system is under threat…

To defend liberty, we must defend our Constitution. I’m supporting Ted because, knowing him personally and having served with him in Congress over the past few years, I trust him as a conservative ally who consistently listens to my perspective and stands firm for what he believes is right.

Read Amash’s entire op-ed at the Independent Journal.

The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by EagleRising.com