http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/10/ted-cruz-raised-1-19-million-in-last-three-months.html/With post-’filibuster’ surge, Ted Cruz raised $1.19 million in last three monthsBy Todd J. Gillman
tgillman@dallasnews.com
4:44 pm on October 15, 2013
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz raised $1.19 million in 3d quarter of 2013 — thanks to a surge after his 21-hour anti-Obamacare talkathon.
That overnight quasi-filibuster, begun the afternoon of Sept. 24, generated enormous attention. It also helped Cruz raise at least $222,825 in the final week of the campaign reporting period that ended Sept. 30. (Thanks to Washington correspondent Emily Wilkins for the number crunching.)
The $1.19 million represents a combined tally for his Senate campaign committee; the Ted Cruz Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee; and Jobs, Growth & Freedom Fund, his political action committee.
The day after the talkathon, the Victory Committee sent a blast email that wasn’t a direct fund-raising appeal, but did guide recipient to Cruz’s Facebook page on which a donation button is found. It also included a link to a video of the talkathon.
“It was an honor to stand on the Senate floor this week to give you a voice and make the case that Washington should listen to the American people. We must defund Obamacare,” that email read.
The 2013 combined running total is $2.67 million, and Cruz had just under $1.6 million in the bank at the end of September.
Cruz, elected 11 months ago, doesn’t face reelection until 2018. But his high profile in the Senate has made him a darling among conservative activists.
“Sen. Cruz has been focused on defunding Obamacare and other important Senate issues this year. But it’s also critical to have the resources to help elect more conservatives in 2014 and get the conservative message out,” Cruz chief strategist Jason Johnson said in a statement.
Most of the funds in the 3d quarter came into Cruz’s “Victory” fund. That committee’s latest FEC report – available on the website of an agency that is mostly shuttered during the government shutdown — shows he raised just under $800,000 from July through September. More than a quarter of that came in in the final week, during and after his 21-hour talkathon.
