Cruz announces $12 million fundraising haul in third quarter

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he raised $12 million in the third fundraising quarter of the year.

The number is a huge spike in his fundraising as he faces a tough challenge against well-funded Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas).

Cruz made the announcement at a Wednesday night rally alongside President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., according to The Texas Tribune. The GOP senator hasn’t announced his cash-on-hand total from the end of September. Both candidates are required to file fundraising reports by Oct. 15.

The amount is Cruz’s largest fundraising quarter to date, which ran from July to September. In the second fundraising quarter, he raised more than $4 million, which was his largest haul at the time.

{mosads}”Together we raised in the third quarter over $12 million,” Cruz said Wednesday night, adding that those numbers are a record in Texas Senate race history.

That will help him keep pace with O’Rourke, who’s been a prolific fundraiser and raised more than $10 million in the second fundraising quarter of 2018. O’Rourke ended June with nearly $14 million in the bank, compared to Cruz’s $10.4 million at that time.

The Democratic congressman has yet to announce his third-quarter numbers, but he’s expected to announce another massive haul. According to a new federal filing from ActBlue, O’Rourke brought in $9.1 million in August alone.

Cruz faces an unexpectedly tough challenge from O’Rourke in the deep-red state. In addition to monster fundraising, polls have shown a tight race, though Cruz’s lead has started to widen more recently. The latest poll from Quinnipiac University has Cruz ahead by 9 points.