It’s a way for Cruz to signal membership as part of the large minority of Hispanic Americans who are religious, anti-socialist, and have conservative views on abortion, crime, drugs, etc.

It’s a shrewd way to stake out and define a distinct identity for minorities who lean conservative. Look at Sajid Javid in the U.K. (where the Tories are in the verge of pulling in the majority of the Indian vote): https://www.politico.eu/article/conservatives-lure-south-asi...

> “Most ethnic minorities believe in the Conservative values of family, self-reliance and aspiration.”