WASHINGTON — This story was first published on the Texas Tribune, and can be viewed here.
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred outraised his Democratic Senate primary opponents and Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign in the last quarter of 2023, though Cruz continues to bring in more cash through his other fundraising operations.
Allred’s campaign raised over $4.8 million from October through December last year, while Cruz’s campaign raised roughly $3.4 million, according to reports filed Wednesday. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, who is also running for the Democratic nomination, raised just over $433,000, putting him in second place in his party’s primary fundraising. No other Democratic candidate comes close to matching Gutierrez.
“We are overwhelmed at the outpouring of support from across the state, and the momentum powering this campaign continues to grow every day,” Paige Hutchinson, Allred’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “Texans are sick of Ted Cruz and his phony culture wars..”
Allred finished the quarter with over $10 million in cash on hand, compared to Cruz’s $6.2 million. He had outraised Cruz’s official campaign the previous quarter as well, bringing in $4.7 million to Cruz’s $3.1 million.
The latest fundraising shows that Allred still had a commanding grip in the crowded Democratic primary.
Gutierrez’s relatively paltry sum was a decrease from the previous quarter, when he raised $632,000. He finished last quarter with $315,000 in cash on hand.
Gutierrez has styled himself as a progressive alternative to the moderate Allred, criticizing the Dallas congressman for being too centrist and the choice of national Democrats.
Cruz still remains an aggressive fundraiser, raising $5.5 million in the fourth quarter across his three political committees. That includes his joint fundraising committee and leadership political action committee, which raises money for other candidates. He has additionally allocated over $1.4 million to help fellow Senate Republicans and the Texas Republican Party.
Cruz’s campaign said he had $7.3 million in cash on hand across his three political committees at the end of the year.
“We continue to see an increase in energy and support from patriots across the Lone Star State and the nation. Texans are fired up to re-elect Senator Ted Cruz and ensure that Texas remains our nation's conservative stronghold,” Cruz spokesperson Nick Maddux said in a statement.
Cruz faces his own primary challengers as well, but they have not made significant fundraising or polling inroads.
Last month, Allred formed a new joint fundraising committee with the Texas Democratic Party, the Allred Victory Fund, that had to disclose its donors for the first time Wednesday. Among its donations was $5,000 from the leadership PAC of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The Schumer-aligned Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has not formally endorsed in the primary. A DSCC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the donation.
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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