Ted Cruz's book deal reportedly bigger than Sarah Palin's
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is expected to receive an advance of nearly $1.5 million for his personal memoir, the Washington Examiner reports.
Cruz's advance surpasses those his fellow tea partiers have received. For instance, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin received $1.25 million for her 2009 book "Going Rogue," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., received an $800,000 advance for his 2012 memoir "An American Son." Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly received a whopping $8 million for her 2003 memoir "Living History," though the financial terms for the book she is currently working on were not disclosed.
The book, to be published by HarperCollins, will reportedly cover Cruz's time in Washington and illustrate his vision for the future. Cruz only joined the Senate in 2010, but he has made a name for himself as a leader of the Senate's conservative faction and by leading the government shutdown in October.
On Wednesday, Cruz, who is widely considered a potential 2016 presidential candidate, delivered the keynote address at Liberty University's convocation, warning the students at the Christian school that Americans' religious liberty, "the very first liberty in the Bill of Rights, the very first protection we have, has never been more in peril than it is right now."
The Virginia university, founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, is considered a testing ground for conservatives aiming for higher office who want to build support among social conservatives.
In his remarks, the Texas senator specifically cited the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case as an example of the threat to religious liberties.
"If you listen to the media, they'll tell you this case is about whether people can access contraceptives," he said. "There's no dispute in this country," he continued, adding that anyone in this country who wants contraceptives can get them. The case, he said, is about "whether the federal government can force people to violate their religious beliefs and pay for the contraceptives of others."
