Ben who? Media erupt as Ted Cruz becomes the third ‘first big name’ of 2016

Sen. Ted Cruz’s Monday morning announcement that he will compete in the 2016 Republican presidential primary has excited both left- and right-leaning media groups, whose interest in announcements by other major candidates — including one who polls substantially higher than the Texas Republican — has been lukewarm.

Though announced GOP hopefuls include a former senator as well as the extremely popular physician Ben Carson, Cruz is enjoying first-mover advantage as far as the media are concerned.

“Cruz set to make campaign official,” the Washington Post declared in a front-page headline Monday morning, noting that the Texas Republican is the “First big name in a crowded field.”

“Ted Cruz kicks off 2016 GOP contest,” USA Today added. “Tea Party favorite to launch presidential campaign today.”

“What first mover Ted Cruz will mean for the race,” read one CNBC headline.

The Cruz news has generated a level of interest and enthusiasm in the press not seen for other potential GOP candidates, including retired neurosurgeon Carson, whose announcement early this month that he had filed Federal Election Commission paperwork generated little buzz — though Carson outpolls Cruz by more than two-to-one (drawing 10.6 percent in RealClearPolitics’ average of polling for 2016 candidates, against 4.6 percent for Cruz).

Former senator and one-time Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum was also met with silence when he said in December 2014 that he’d launch another presidential campaign in 2016.

“We’re just obviously in a better place right now. Our message will be a lot more focused this time than it was last time,” Santorum said to very little fanfare. “America loves an underdog. We’re definitely the underdog in this race.”

The one-time Republican presidential candidate said earlier this month he is still weighing whether he’ll launch another White House bid in 2016.

Likewise, Mark Everson, who served as IRS commissioner under George W. Bush, filed with the Federal Election Commission and announced in early March that he would compete in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.

But it’s the Cruz announcement that is being treated by newsrooms as the first official GOP 2016 campaign that worthy of coverage.

“Ted Cruz Becomes First Major Candidate to Announce Presidential Bid for 2016,” the New York Times said in a Monday headline that took little note of Everson, Santorum or Carson.

MSNBC added in a headline, “Ted Cruz first out of the 2016 gate.”

Meanwhile, Bloomberg News noted that “Ted Cruz Is First to Declare,” explaining later why that’s probably not a good thing.”

Separately, as many in right-of-center media hailed the maverick Republican’s announcement, not all conservatives jumped on board. Some suggested that the first-term senator is not the best choice to take on the Democratic Party’s presumed candidate, Hillary Clinton, and that he could be more effective by remaining in the senate.

“Conservatives need Ted Cruz in the Senate to restore its power against a tyrannical presidency. Instead, he’s chosen to abandon it,” read one Federalist article, titled “Ted Cruz For Senate, Not President.”

The Week’s Michael Dougherty took a personal swipe at Cruz, saying, “I have one message for conservatives swooning for Ted. From Psalm 146:3: ‘Put not your trust in putzes.'”

National Catholic Register’s Peter Jesserer Smith recalled an episode in which Cruz cut short a September 2014 speech at an event hosted by In Defense of Christians. “I wouldn’t trust Ted Cruz one iota,” Smith wrote. “The man threw persecuted Mideast Christians under the bus for his own ambition, and he’ll be a disaster for conservatives and the GOP.”

But many in conservative media are eager to hear what Cruz has to say on the campaign trail.

“[I]t’s clear he believes he’ll be the exception, and not without good reason,” the Federalist’s Ben Domenech wrote in an article titled “3 Reasons Ted Cruz Could Win.”

“The traditionally powerful factions of the Republican Party have less control than they used to,” he wrote. “What’s also clear is that his campaign is likely to be one of the most aggressive of all of those who are playing with the idea of running. ”

RedState founder Erick Erickson said Monday he’s excited by the prospect of candidate Cruz.

“Cruz, in the Senate, has not stopped everything, but he has stopped some things. He has helped lead House members to stop other things. He has shown himself a leader of the conservative movement. He has shown himself willing to stand athwart history and yell stop,” he wrote. “I look forward to hearing his vision of what America will look like after four years of a Cruz administration.”

In the left-leaning and legacy media, however, many are decrying the Texas senator’s 2016 bid, accusing Cruz of bomb-throwing.

“Let’s be serious about Ted Cruz from the start: He’s too extreme and too disliked to win,” read one headline from FiveThirtyEight.

MSNBC contributor Donny Deutsch was beside himself Monday morning on “Morning Joe” as the panel discussed Cruz’s announcement.

“I think he’s the worst … I think he’s the worst. I think he’s scary, I think he’s dangerous, I think he’s slimy and I think he brings no fresh ideas,” Deutsch said.

CNN contributor and veteran Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile tweeted, “You must be this far to the right to appeal to the GOP base. And #TedCruz is very far right. In football terms, he’s hugging the sideline.”

A spokesperson for Cruz did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.