Texas Sen. Ted Cruz may be ensconced dead center in polls among the vast field of Republicans running for president, but his fundraising totals this quarter place him in second place, just behind former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, according to the
National Journal.
The constitutionalist and tea party darling's campaign raised $10 million this quarter, just behind Bush’s $11.4 million, according to Federal Election Commission numbers filed Wednesday, the deadline for candidates to provide their official campaign figures.
The official campaign totals do not include money raised from super PACs and other outside groups. According to the Journal, Cruz super PACs have thus far raised $37 million, a figure that puts him ahead of "so-called 'top tier' candidates" like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but a far cry from the $103 million haul brought in by Bush’s Right to Rise super PAC.
Cruz’s campaign has raised a total of $14.3 million since his March announcement that he was entering the race. Following Cruz is Rubio ($8.9 million); retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson ($8.5 million); and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul ($7 million).
The average contribution for the Cruz campaign’s 175,000 donors was $81, according to the Journal, while Bush’s average donation was $926.
Washington Post political
blogger Chris Cillizza writes that Cruz's "potent mix" of fundraising ability and his distinction as the most conservative candidate in the race "should scare the hell out of any of the establishment candidates with designs on the party nomination."
His fundraising prowess "not only differentiates him from other ideological warrior candidates of the past, but also gives him a real chance at breaking into the top tier of candidates as the race continues," writes Cillizza.
The challenge will be sustaining that fundraising pace.
"With 16 credible candidates likely to be in this race, it's virtually impossible for the nomination fight to be anything but a long slog," writes Cillizza. "And, the key to surviving and/or winning a long slog race is sustained fundraising to fund ads and campaign operations in an ever-broadening primary and caucus playing field."
Cruz has the money to be a serious contender for the GOP nomination, Cillizza said, and in order to capture voters beyond his base he’s going to have to spend it "communicating to those voters (largely via TV) the story of Cruz in the most positive light possible."
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