U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-El Paso) raised $38.1 million for his U.S. Senate campaign in the third quarter, a new record for the largest fundraising quarter ever in a U.S. Senate race, according to his campaign.
The haul more than tripled Republican incumbent Ted Cruz’s fundraising for the past three months, which Cruz has said was more than $12 million. O’Rourke has consistently raised more than Cruz in the race, but this is the widest gap yet. The $38.1 million is by far the largest amount raised in a quarter by a Senate candidate, surpassing Republican Rick Lazio’s record of $22 million in 2000 for his bid against Democrat Hillary Clinton in New York.
O’Rourke’s campaign said the $38.1 million came from 802,836 individual contributions, and a majority of it came from Texas.
“The people of Texas in all 254 counties are proving that when we reject PACs and come together not as Republicans or Democrats but as Texans and Americans, there’s no stopping us,” O’Rourke said in a statement. “This is a historic campaign of people: all people, all the time, everywhere, every single day – that’s how we’re going to win this election and do something incredible for Texas and our country at this critical moment.”
The candidates have until Monday to report their full third-quarter finances to the Federal Election Commission. Cruz announced his $12 million haul last week, his largest quarter of the race – and a record for a Senate contest in Texas, he said.
But O’Rourke had long been expected to soar to new heights with his third-quarter fundraising, raising more than $6 million online alone during the last several days of September. In the second quarter, he more than doubled Cruz’s fundraising, $10.4 million to $4.6 million.
Cruz brought up O’Rourke’s $38 million total during a rally Friday afternoon in Houston, warning “that kind of cash flooding into Texas is dangerous” – and continuing to press his case that O’Rourke is being funded by angry liberals throughout the nation.
“Every left-wing radical in the country wants to turn Texas blue,” Cruz said, “and they are sending their money to Comrade Beto.”
Neither campaign has disclosed how much cash on hand it has with less than a month until Election Day. O’Rourke had the advantage in that category at the end of June, with $14 million in the bank to Cruz’s $10.4 million.
In discussing fundraising numbers, Cruz and his campaign usually take into account three groups: his re-election campaign, a leadership PAC and a joint fundraising committee benefitting the re-election campaign and leadership PAC. Cruz is also benefitting from spending by a number of outside groups that have pumped more than $5 million into the race, most of it to attack O’Rourke.
Andrew Eversden contributed reporting.
Money can`t buy you love or votes in Texas!
Cruz has run his usual dirty ugly campaign. Beto, on the other hand, has been honest and above board. He often comes off as naive, but what do we think when a candidate refuses to play dirty? Cruz is dishonest about where the money comes from, if anyone’s money comes from out of state, it is is his PAC money. Beto’s has come from “we the people”, and yes people like Richard Linklater have put in bigger cash than I have. They are Texans with deeper pockets. He refuses to fight a nasty fight. He may not look tough on those ugly issues the far right wants to hear about: like incarcerating children at the border, or that hideous favorite “abortion”. NOT to worry Kavanaugh and Trump will take care of that. The good news is he will be a voice against the extremism that has taken hold of this country, with kindness and grace. Ironically he seems to me to act so much like how I learned Jesus would want me to be. Cruz is just demonic.
MY OPINION.