Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton get all the headlines. Marco Rubio and Bernie Sanders get all the buzz. But Ted Cruz is running the best campaign of the any of the 19 people seeking the presidency.

This fact might shock you. The senator from Texas is, after all, one of the least-liked members of Congress. He’s hated by Democrats as a rank ideologue interested only in furthering his own political ambitions. And, he’s hated by Republicans as a rank ideologue interested only in furthering his own political ambitions. Cruz has become, for both parties’ establishments, the living, breathing symbol of everything that’s wrong with Washington.

That image, of course, works to Cruz’s great advantage with a Republican presidential primary electorate that loathes the nation’s capitol and everyone who makes their living there. (You might note, gentle reader, that Cruz would be included among those who make their living in D.C. No one ever accused voters of being entirely consistent.)

Cruz has done a lot right in this race.