Sen. Ted Cruz to Make Late Night Debut Nov. 8

It’s a new political rite of passage for presidential contenders–spending quality time with the likes of Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) may not have thrown his hat into the presidential ring quite yet, but he’s taking his Tea Party-approved message to late night all the same.

Cruz will make his first late-night appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on Nov. 8, taking to the NBC show’s couch to discuss the recent government shutdown, the debt ceiling, the gridlock in Washington and the current state of the Republican Party, the network said.

Cruz will appear on the one late night show which has treated President Barack Obama to the kind of ribbing that most talk shows embraced prior to Jan. 22, 2008.