Ted Cruz to report raising less than half what Beto O'Rourke raised this year

Last edited Sat Apr 14, 2018, 01:46 AM - Edit history (1)

by Abby Livingston and Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune

When U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke announced his latest fundraising haul earlier this month – a stunning $6.7 million – it was widely expected to surpass what his rival, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, brought in over the same period. Now it's clear by how much: roughly $3.5 million.

Cruz raised $3.2 million in the first three months of this year, according to his campaign.

O'Rourke, an El Paso Democrat, did not outpace just Cruz – he posted one of the top quarterly federal fundraising hauls ever, outside of presidential campaigns. If not for O’Rourke’s large sum, Cruz’s fundraising would be considered robust for any incumbent seeking re-election.

In tallying Cruz's numbers, his team takes into account three groups: Ted Cruz for Senate, a re-election campaign committee; the Jobs, Freedom, and Security PAC, a leadership PAC; and Ted Cruz Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee that sends contributions to the re-election campaign and his leadership PAC. O'Rourke, who only has a single campaign account, has sworn off PAC money.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/04/13/ted-cruz-report-raising-less-half-what-beto-orourke-has-year/