(Houston, Texas) – Legendary entertainer Pat Boone, spokesman for the 60 Plus Association, a national non-partisan senior citizen group, today announced that Ted Cruz has earned the group’s honorary Guardian of Seniors’ Rights award. Cruz is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Calling Cruz a “fighter for the elderly,” Boone, in a statement for 60 Plus, remarked, “I’m still singing at concerts, but today I am singing the praises of Ted Cruz.” Boone, 77, and his wife, Shirley, have been married for 56 years and reside in Beverly Hills, California.
Boone continues to entertain at concert appearances and is also familiar to American audiences as a star of film and television. Boone has had 38 top-ten hits since his recording career began in the 1950s, and, according to Billboard magazine, holds the record for the most consecutive weeks (220) on the charts by any performer.
60 Plus Chairman Jim Martin, who founded the organization in 1992, traveled to Houston today to personally present the Association’s award to Cruz. Over 497,000 Texans currently count themselves among the more than 7.1 million seniors who support 60 Plus nationwide.
“Ted Cruz can be counted on to protect Social Security and Medicare,” Martin said. “Ted Cruz will be a tax cutter, protecting the pocket books of senior citizens. Nationally, 60 Plus calls on over 7 million seniors for support so I believe I can speak on behalf of seniors when I say that they can always count on Ted Cruz being in their corner.”
The Association’s Guardian Award is presented to Democrats and Republicans in Congress based on their “senior friendly” voting records. The honorary award is given to those seeking office and is based on their views on issues of importance to seniors. Previous recipients include Texas Republican Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, Lone Star Republican Reps. Pete Sessions, Sam Johnson, Kevin Brady, and Ron Paul, and Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar; as well as U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA).
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