Former Texas Solicitor General and GOP Senate candidate Ted Cruz is often compared to freshman superstar Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.  Both are young (40), Hispanic, and quick to highlight their Tea Party credentials. Most important, both are the children of Cuban exiles.

On ABC’s ” Topline” today, Cruz lashed out at a recent Washington Post story that charged Rubio with embellishing the facts about his parents’ immigration story.

“I think the Washington Post piece was a hit piece and I think it was silly and it was predictable,” Cruz said. “In my opinion, Marco Rubio’s election in 2010 was the most important election in the country in 2010. And in fact a great many people have been comparing the Texas Senate race between me and [GOP Lt. Gov.] David Dewhurst to that race in 2012 between Marco Rubio and Charlie Christ. Both of us have parents who fled oppression, who came here with nothing seeking the American Dream.”

Cruz went on to say that he, like Rubio, has been accused of telling misleading stories about his own family history.

“It’s interesting, just like the Post did a hit piece, the Dallas Morning News this past week has been going after me on the exact same issues and for whatever reason it seems establishment moderate candidates hand-in-hand with some of the mainstream media like to go after strong, conservative, Hispanic senators or candidates,” he said.

A supporter of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s bid for president, Cruz does part ways with Perry on one of the hot-button issues of immigration.

“There are a number of issues on which I disagree with Rick Perry and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants is one of them,” he said. “I don’t agree with him on that and I think most Texans don’t agree with him either. I think that’s a position where to my mind we have a crisis with illegal immigration, we need to get serious about securing the border and it doesn’t make any sense to give special preferences and privileges to those who are here illegally.”