Former Democratic state senator and San Antonio mayoral candidate Leticia Van de Putte described Cruz as being a “gentleman” in all the past encounters she has had with the former Texas solicitor general.
“He’s very polite, he’s charming. And even though adversarial, he has a very different relationship one-on-one, very cordial, he asks about kids, I ask about his kids, he’s just a very regular guy," Van De Putte said.
But, “Given said that our views are radically opposite in many instances," Van De Putte explained.
Van de Putte was asked about her view of Cruz at a Washington D.C. gala put on by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials to honor fellow San Antonian Henry Cisneros.
And though they may have been polar opposites on a number of issues, she praised Cruz for his scholarly knowledge of the law. She recalled a 2003 redistricting case that she and other Texas Democrats lost to Cruz in court, who was working as the state’s solicitor general at the time.
“He’s a brilliant constitutional lawyer and he stands up for what he believes and that in and of itself is noteworthy," Van De Putte said.
But Van de Putte said Cruz is still not her presidential candidate of choice.
“I’m a long-time Hillary Clinton supporter," Van De Putte confirmed.
Van de Putte also applauded Cruz for speaking out against the anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican rhetoric coming from Donald Trump’s campaign for president.
