Cruz aware of rival’s prowess at fundraising

Incumbent will benefit from PAC funds, which Dem pledges to reject

The $8 million Democrat Beto O’Rourke has raised in his bid to win a U.S. Senate seat has not gone unnoticed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

AUSTIN — The $8 million Democrat Beto O’Rourke has raised in his bid to win a U.S. Senate seat has not gone unnoticed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

Cruz acknowledged to reporters in El Paso on Saturday night that he’s seen the El Paso Democrat’s fundraising prowess.

“My opponent is raising a ton of money,” Cruz said before delivering a speech to the El Paso County Republican Party. “It doesn’t hurt that Chuck Schumer came down to Texas and brought his liberal buddies with him.”

Cruz was referring to a fundraising event U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had in Houston in January to raise money for Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

O’Rourke has heavily outraised Cruz since the start of 2018, according to the latest campaign reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Cruz raised just $711,000 since the start of the year. O’Rourke has raised $2.2 million during the same period.

Overall, Cruz still has more money in his campaign account, about $6 million total, than O’Rourke, who has about $5 million.

But that doesn’t tell the full story of the financial battle in the race. Cruz is also expected to benefit from super PACs that have been created by his allies. A new political action committee called Texans Are has piled up $1.7 million.

Cruz also will have access to other PAC money, something O’Rourke has made a campaign promise not to accept. In December alone, Cruz collected almost $87,000 from a range of special interest PACs, including those backed by the NRA, Comcast, Valero, Delta and Vice President Mike Pence. Cruz also picked up $2,500 from the office of the commissioner of Major League Baseball, FEC records show.

O’Rourke has raised $8 million overall, more than any Democrat seeking the U.S. Senate in Texas in at least 16 years.

Despite O’Rourke’s surprising fundraising numbers, he remains an underdog in the race. Many congressional analysts, like D.C.-based Inside Elections, have Cruz in a “solid Republican” re-election position. Others like the Cook Political Report still favor Cruz but consider the race slightly more competitive partly due to O’Rourke’s numbers.

Cruz offered a hint of how he’ll try to frame O’Rourke. In a video of an interview published by the El Paso Times, Cruz talks up how liberals in Washington want a big government, pro-amnesty Democrat representing Texas.

Cruz also used the event on the Texas border to again stress opposition to an immigration plan touted by other Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

That plan would provide a path to citizenship for children brought to the country illegally by their parents.

Many of those children had been protected under President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program.

“I don’t think we should be granting amnesty to anyone here illegally,” Cruz said.