Sen. Ted Cruz brought in more than $5 million across three fundraising committees during the first three months of 2021, a large sum for the firebrand Texas Republican in preparation of 2024 and amid heavy criticism over his objection to the Electoral College results.
Cruz’s campaign said his campaign committee, the Ted Cruz Victory joint fundraising committee, and his Jobs, Freedom, and Security leadership PAC raised $5.3 million in the first quarter of 2021. Cruz’s campaign committee alone has $5.6 million in cash on hand, up from $4.5 million in his war chest at the end of 2020.
The large, three-month haul is unusual for a senator like Cruz because he is not up for reelection to the Senate until 2024. It indicates that criticism of his objection to the Electoral College election results on Jan. 6 ahead of the breach of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump and criticism of his flying to Cancun amid severe power outages in Texas may not hamper his political future when it comes to campaigns.
His unusually large fundraising haul in the face of heavy criticism is similar to that of Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who raised more than $3 million in the first quarter of the year despite also facing backlash for objecting to the Electoral College results, and Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who raised $3.2 million in the first three months of the year even though the Democratic-controlled House stripped her of committee posts.
Cruz is also a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, and his padded war chest could help get a head start on the primary campaign if he decides to run.
According to Cruz’s campaign, the $5.3 million came from just over 112,000 donors, 55% of whom were new donors. Small donations less than $100 made up 98% of the donations, and the average first-quarter donation was $41.
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“Ted Cruz is the preeminent defender of freedom for the Lone Star State,” Cruz spokesman Steve Guest said in a statement. “Every day, Sen. Cruz fights back against President Biden’s radical policy agenda that hurts Texans, raises taxes, harms small businesses, and increases our national debt. Sen. Cruz is immensely thankful to the hardworking men and women across the country for their generous contributions.”
