AUSTIN, Texas (AP) A coloring book featuring tea party darling Sen. Ted Cruz has become a hot-selling item in the U.S. this holiday season.
The cover features the beaming senator, a Texan who galvanized right-wingers during the budget fight that partially shut down the federal government in October. He points to a tea plant with leaves that say "Gun rights," ''Free Enterprise," and "Lower Taxes." At the very top is a leaf reading "White House."
Cruz, who only took office in January but is frequently mentioned as a possible 2016 presidential contender, is an ardent supporter of the right to own firearms. The book shows him hunting, among other activities.
It is already in its third printing after just six days, said Wayne Bell, the founder of Really Big Coloring Books Inc., which published the book. The first run of around 10,000 sold out in barely 24 hours, and the second went nearly as fast.
"At this point, I would almost call it a phenomenon," Bell said.