'Duck Dynasty' Star Phil Robertson Endorses Ted Cruz

Phil Robertson, the controversial star of A&E's reality show "Duck Dynasty," has endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for president in a video posted to Cruz's YouTube channel.

Robertson, the patriarch of the show that details the lives of a conservative, Christian family in Louisiana rich off of duck-hunting products from their family business, went duck hunting Monday with Cruz, where the senator apparently won over the 69-year-old businessman.

"My qualifications for president of the United States are rather narrow: 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 him in a pot and make him a good duck gumbo?" Robertson says in the video. "Cruz fits the bill."

Robertson has found himself in the spotlight several times for controversial comments and almost got kicked off of his popular TV show because of them.

In a 2013 interview with GQ, Robertson was asked what he considers sinful.

"Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there," he said. "Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men."

A&E initially suspended Robertson, saying, "His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community."

But he was reinstated just nine days later after a swell of national support from the show's fans and even Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who made a brief run at the Republican presidential nomination himself but dropped out after gathering little support.

Perhaps Jindal should have enlisted the help of Robertson, who has shown in the past that his support can have some political impact, at least in his home state.

In 2013, Robertson endorsed Vance McAllister, a former businessman but relatively unknown politician, for a vacated Louisiana U.S. House of Representatives seat. McAllister won a special runoff election against state Sen. Neil Riser and served for a year before losing his race for a full term.

Cruz and Robertson would seem to be a perfect match on the presidential campaign trail, as Cruz has promoted heavily his Christian beliefs on the campaign trail.

"I am thrilled to have Phil's support for our campaign," Cruz told Fox News. "The Robertson's are a strong family of great Christian faith and conservative values."

Cruz is currently polling second behind Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, according to a Real Clear Politics aggregation of several national polls, but the pair are deadlocked in Iowa, a key early voting state.

"Duck Dynasty" concluded its eighth season in August, and a ninth season will premiere Wednesday night on A&E.

Image via Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons