The 2016 Contenders: Ted Cruz

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories.

Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign.

It’s Ted Cruz’s ramrod devotion to principle—or, its flip side, an unyielding insistence on getting his way—that could propel him to the f...