Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said during the 2016 campaign that he believed presidents should begin every day with prayer. The Texas senator, who frequently emphasized his Christian faith on the campaign trail, made the remarks at a campaign event as he sought to appeal to evangelical voters in the Republican primary. Cruz positioned himself as the most openly religious candidate in the race, often speaking about the role of faith in public life and governance. His comments were welcomed by religious conservatives who valued the integration of faith and politics, while critics argued for a stricter separation of church and state. Cruz performed strongly among evangelical voters in several primary states, winning the Iowa caucuses in February 2016 before eventually losing the Republican nomination to Donald Trump.