Ted Cruz on How 'Star Wars' Applies to Presidential Politics

— -- Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says the wisdom of "Star Wars" can be applied to the campaign trail.

“An important question to ask of any presidential candidate is which 'Star Wars' figure would you be? And I got to say, anyone who says Luke Skywalker ought to be eliminated right off the bat. The only right answer to that is Han Solo,” joked Cruz at a campaign stop in Bettendorf, Iowa.

Cruz called Han Solo the “coolest character in all of cinema” and said that he’s loved "Star Wars" since he was a boy.

“I grew up on 'Star Wars,'” Cruz said. “You know my favorite memory is actually the second movie, 'The Empire Strikes Back,' which came out when I was 10. I remember standing with my dad in line at the mall for two, three hours to see it on opening day, and it was amazing being a little boy in the seventies and early eighties when these movies were coming out. I collected all the 'Star Wars' action figures. I had them all in a Darth Vader carrying case and with my friends we would play and fight them back and forth. I had a giant Millennium Falcon.”

Cruz said that he even invokes "Star Wars" into his message to staffers on the trail.

"And you know I have to say there's a lot of wisdom wrapped up in 'Star Wars.' A message that I give to folks on the campaign trail, sometimes they'll say we tried. And my response is straight out of Yoda: 'There is no try. Do or do not.’ And likewise if someone does something very impressive, I'll turn to them just like Vader and say, ‘The Force is strong with this one.'"

Cruz said he's "excited" about the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

"I can't wait to see it when it comes out," he said.