Cruz Campaign Press Release - Texas Tea Party Leader JoAnn Fleming Endorses Cruz for President

HOUSTON, Texas — Today U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced that longtime conservative activists JoAnn Fleming will become the Texas Tea Party Chairwoman for Cruz for President.

"JoAnn is one of Texas' most experienced activists and has a long record of leading the fight for conservative principles," said Cruz. "She has been a supporter from the very beginning when no one thought I had a shot at even becoming a senator, and through her hard work and dedication we proved the establishment wrong. Under her leadership, I am certain we will see a groundswell of support from the grassroots in Texas, along with an army of volunteers and supporters to help us be very competitive in our home state."

"Ted is a consistent fighter – standing strong for the rule of law, standing up for the American people, and standing against a big government that is squandering our heritage and our nation's future," said Fleming. "True to his word, Ted has taken on the special interests, the lobbyists, and the career politicians in both parties to return government to the people. He has stood up for conservatives on every issue that matters to us and has been a leading voice for our principles against the influence and power of the Washington Cartel. I am proud to be the Texas Tea Party Chairwoman for Cruz and look forward to making him the next President of the United States."

JoAnn is an original member of the #CruzCrew and campaigned with Sen. Cruz when he was polling at 1% in the polls in his race for the US Senate and played a key role in his come from behind victory.

Fleming has been a leader in the constitutional conservative movement for twenty-three years and is the three-term Chair of the Texas Legislature's TEA Party Caucus Advisory Committee. In this unpaid role, she works directly with grassroots leaders from across the state and with legislators to develop and pass constitutionally conservative bills and to kill "big government" legislation.

She is the full-time volunteer Executive Director of Grassroots America – the largest constitutional conservative organization in East Texas and one of the largest in the state. She is a self-retired county commissioner; a sought-after public speaker, a guest political analyst for local media, and a frequent contributor to state political commentary. Fleming was a 2010 Texas Federation of Republican Women Outstanding Republican Woman and the Republican Party of Texas 2011 Volunteer of the Year from Senate District 3.