CRUZIN' – AT 11:32 A.M. ET:  Ted Cruz is doing well, with many pundits saying he has a good chance to win the Republican nomination.  Cruz himself is saying that the fight will probably be over by March, which is two months from now.  From The Hill: 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in a private call on Thursday said the GOP race for the White House will probably be decided by March.

Cruz told campaign volunteers on an end-of-the-year conference call to be ready for a month of attacks, predicting a brutal January, according to CNN.

"There is a very good possibility that the Republican primary will be decided by the end of March," Cruz told volunteers during the call. "First thing tomorrow, we've got a 90-day sprint to get the job done."

Cruz is seen as a favorite for the GOP nomination and is leading polls in Iowa.

Nationally, however, he trails GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who is also ahead of Cruz in polls of New Hampshire and other states.

Cruz has been enjoying a spike in the polls while garnering critical endorsements and donors to aid his bid.

He was the first to announce his fourth-quarter fundraising haul, raising nearly $20 million in the last three months of 2015.

The Texas senator has been consolidating evangelical support and securing key endorsements from social conservatives in the first-in-the-nation caucuses state. Iowa voters will head to the polls on Feb. 1.

Cruz is also working to secure a strong placement during Super Tuesday on March 1, when a number of Southern states host contests.

The conservative firebrand also touted the recent flurry of attacks from his GOP rivals: "If we were sitting here on Dec. 31 and no one was attacking us, or looking to be attacking us, I would be deeply, deeply concerned," Cruz said.

COMMENT:  Brilliant guy, a true conservative, although lacking in executive experience.  His presidency would be an intellectual feast, without question.

January 1, 2016