When Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal exited the race a little more than a month ago, I was not sure I would offer another public endorsement. As you can imagine, I have had different campaigns reach out, and I’ve struggled with making a decision. I did have a short list; I admire and respect those who were on it, but I knew that eventually I was going to have make a decision whether I made it public or not. The fact is, there are a number of candidates that I will be happy to vote for if they would win the nomination.

This decision hasn’t been made lightly as feelings about candidates become intensely personal, especially living in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa. I certainly don’t want to alienate any readers or friends; however, I know some may disagree with my choice and vice versa.

I follow the Jeffersonian line of thinking when it comes to politics and relationships.

Thomas Jefferson famously said, “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.”

I wholeheartedly agree.

That said, I have decided to endorse, and come February 1st will be caucusing for, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). This is my personal endorsement alone, and I’m sure you’ve seen some recent disagreement over candidates here at Caffeinated Thoughts. That will continue I’m sure as I have zero interest in censoring contributors who believe differently than I do. I just encourage all of us to maintain civility and to speak truth in love regardless of the candidate we support.

I’m endorsing Cruz, in part, because I believe he is a man of character who loves his wife, his kids and his God.

I believe Ted Cruz will stand firm on restoring the Constitution. How do I know this? I’ve seen him do it time and time and time again in the U.S. Senate. He certainly has not won any popularity contests in DC, but, in my opinion, he has all of the right people mad at him.

I am supporting Ted Cruz because he has followed through on his campaign promises, a rare quality we see in DC these days. He has fought for those seeking reform in Washington. He has fought for limited government. He has gone against party leadership, and we will need a fighter in the White House.

Cruz has successfully thread the needle between liberty and security. He has fought for personal liberty in light of government overreach in the name of security. At the same time, he also demonstrates a commitment to national security and to strengthen America’s position in the world.

He has been a champion for religious liberty, for life, and for marriage, both in his previous role as the Solicitor General of Texas and while in the U.S. Senate. He has been firmly against the Common Core State Standards and has opposed the awful reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

I also have to acknowledge that over the past month there has been a consensus forming behind Cruz. I don’t see the momentum that Cruz has in any other candidate, and to be completely frank, I believe he may be the only candidate who can, at this point, prevent Donald Trump from winning the nomination. He is well positioned to move forward with that support to win the Republican nomination, but I believe he can win in the general election as well.

However, that is secondary to where he stands on issues. Since Cruz has jumped into the race I believed he lined up well with my values, beliefs and standards. He now has my wholehearted support here in Iowa and beyond. He may not have been my first choice in this race, but I will happily work to see him win Iowa.

I humbly ask for you to join me in this support.