Ted Cruz had a huge victory in the Iowa caucuses, potentially making him the first Hispanic U.S. president. However, the candidate believes that he does not deserve the description.

“One of the reasons I'm a Republican is because we treat people as individuals. ... When I ran for Senate in Texas I didn't run as: 'Vote for the Hispanic guy,” Cruz previously said.

Rafael Edward Cruz was born in 1970. His father was born in Cuba, but Ted’s family generally spoke only English in the house. As a boy, he had the nickname “Felito,” which usually made him the center of jokes since it rhymed with several corn chip brands, like Doritos and Cheetos.

When he was 13 years old, Ted decided to change his name, which upset his father. His father reportedly would not call him by his new name in the years that followed, although the former is now helping in his campaign. Ted confessed that his Spanish is still lousy. He could only muster a few simple Spanish words during his campaign appearances.

Cruz said that he was the son of an immigrant who escaped oppression, which is why he values freedom and understands how vulnerable it is. He added that several Hispanics in the U.S. are tired of being taken for granted and stereotyped by the Democratic Party.

The Effects of Alienating the Latino Community

Cruz may be criticized by other Hispanics in the presidential race by moving away from his cultural heritage, as well as his stance on building a border wall between U.S. and Mexico, immigration and stopping citizenship by birthright. During the GOP debate between Sen. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz earlier in February 2016, the former attacked Cruz for not being able to speak Spanish. Alfonso Aguilar, Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles president, stated that Cruz does not fundamentally understand the Latino community. Cruz was also criticized for being against legalizing undocumented immigrants.

Civil rights activists claim that Cruz and Rubio have turned against their own. They added that they will not vote for someone merely because he is of Latino origin, but will pick someone who can stand up for them and their values. Many Latinos alleged that Cruz failed to consider his own heritage and the matters that affect thousands in their community. Cruz further worked with conservatives like Iowa Rep. Steve King, which can also be deemed as an act of alienating the Hispanic people.

Although Cruz may have had success in the predominantly white states of Iowa and New Hampshire, he is bound to struggle in Nevada on Feb. 23, 2016, since 28 percent of the population is Latino.