Phil Robertson, ‘Duck Dynasty’ Patriarch, Endorses Ted Cruz For President

Phil Robertson, the patriarch on AMC’s hit reality TV show Duck Dynasty, has formally endorsed Ted Cruz to become the next president of the United States.

Phil Robertson Endorses Ted Cruz

In a campaign video released by the Cruz campaign Thursday, Robertson, decked out in full camouflage, states, “My qualifications for president of the United States are rather narrow.”

He elaborates, “Is he or she Godly? Does he or she love us? Can he or she do the job? And, finally, would they kill a duck and put it in a pot and make them a good duck gumbo?.” Robertson concludes, “Ted Cruz is my man. I’m voting for him.”

Robertson is then shown taking Cruz, similarly dressed in head-to-toe camouflage – face paint included – out into the woods for some duck hunting.

“Cruz, the reason we’re going to vote for you, all of us, is because you’re one of us, my man,” Robertson tells the Texas senator. “That’s why we’re voting for you. It’s now or never.”

Since releasing the video, Cruz has expressed his gratitude for getting the endorsement of the Robertson patriarch – and by extension that of his large family.

“I am thrilled to have Phil’s support for our campaign. The Robertson’s are a strong family of great Christian faith and conservative values,” Cruz said in a statement. “Phil’s story of starting off with something small and working hard to achieve the American dream is inspiring. Much like my parents, and many other Americans, who started a small business and worked hard to provide for our family.”

Cruz will join Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Chris Christie in South Carolina Thursday night for the first Republican primary debate of 2016. It will air on Fox Business at 9 p.m. and be available for streaming on FoxBusiness.com.