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As he faces a second straight difficult re-election marketing campaign, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is upping his efforts.
The conservative firebrand senator working for a 3rd six-year time period representing the Lone Star State within the Senate will staff up Saturday in Houston with workers, volunteers, grassroots supporters, family and friends for the official opening of his 2024 marketing campaign headquarters.
The opening comes a few days after Cruz introduced a big marketing campaign money haul over the previous three months.
The senator introduced in $9.7 million through the first quarter of 2024 fundraising, in accordance with figures shared first with Fox Information Wednesday. Cruz’s haul from his three fundraising committees was almost double the $5.5 million he introduced within the earlier three months.
FIRST ON FOX: CRUZ HAULS IN NEARLY $10 MILLION THE PAST THREE MONTHS
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas speaks at a donor convention hosted by the conservative Membership for Progress March 3, 2023, in Palm Seashore, Fla. (Fox Information )
And the senator’s political staff mentioned that, as of the top of March, Cruz had $15.1 million money available from his three fundraising committees. They famous that determine contains the quantities he has despatched to the Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the marketing campaign arm of the Senate GOP, and the Republican Social gathering of Texas (RPT), that are devoted to his race.
Marketing campaign spokesperson Nick Maddux informed Fox Information the senator “is off to a really robust begin this 12 months because the momentum to get him throughout the end line in November continues to extend throughout the complete Lone Star State.”
SIX KEY SENATE SEATS THAT COULD FLIP IN NOVEMBER
Cruz, who narrowly defeated Rep. Beto O’Rourke in a hard-fought 2018 Senate battle, is probably going going to want each cent he raises, as he faces a bruising re-election bid towards Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred.
Allred, a former NFL participant, civil rights legal professional and three-term congressman representing a suburban Dallas district, on Thursday almost matched Cruz’s fundraising. His marketing campaign introduced he hauled in over $9.5 million through the first quarter.
Paige Hutchinson, Allred’s marketing campaign supervisor, emphasised the fundraising “continues our momentum to construct a robust marketing campaign to win in November and ship Ted Cruz packing for good.”
Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, arrives on the U.S. Capitol for the final votes of the week April 20, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty Photos)
Allred seemingly obtained a lift from President Biden, who informed top-dollar donors throughout a fundraiser in Dallas final month, “You have to elect Colin as your subsequent senator … so Ted Cruz joins one other loser, Donald Trump.”
The previous president is the GOP’s 2024 presumptive presidential nominee.
Cruz, who was runner-up to Trump within the 2016 Republican presidential nomination race, flirted early this cycle with one other White Home run earlier than confirming in late 2022 he would search a 3rd time period within the Senate.
The senator on Saturday will be a part of with volunteers and workers, who will spend the day cellphone banking and door knocking on behalf of Cruz. The marketing campaign says it has already surpassed 1 million direct voter contacts and notes it is on monitor to hit historic grassroots numbers.
WHERE THE PRESIDENTIAL AND SENATE SHOWDOWNS STAND IN TEXAS
“Sen. Cruz will proceed to pound the pavement day in and time out, assembly and speaking to Texans in each nook of the state to maintain Texas Texas and make sure that we stay the nation’s bastion of liberty,” Maddux emphasised.
O’Rourke raised considerably greater than Cruz in 2018 in a high-profile race that grabbed loads of nationwide consideration.
In an interview final week on Fox Information’ “Hannity,” Cruz argued that Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer, the highest Democrat within the chamber, “has been express. He is coming after Texas. I’m his No. 1 goal in the complete nation.”
Cruz argued the Democrats “are going to spend greater than $100 million this 12 months. … They’re flooding hundreds of thousands of {dollars} into Texas.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, throughout votes within the U.S. Capitol Dec. 5, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty Photos)
The senator has lengthy been a fan favourite of conservatives throughout the nation as a consequence of his quite a few broadsides towards Democrats, from President Barack Obama early in his tenure to his assaults on President Biden lately.
However Cruz, with the latest launch of “Democrats for Cruz,” is showcasing his bipartisan chops as he goals to draw left-leaning voters.
He is additionally attempting to color Allred as a partisan who votes in lockstep together with his celebration.
However Allred’s marketing campaign counters that his bid is about “rejecting the divisiveness of Ted Cruz and combating for Texans’ freedoms.”
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Democrats maintain a slim 51-49 majority within the chamber, which incorporates three impartial senators who caucus with the Democratic convention.
Which means Republicans want a web acquire of both one or two seats to win again the bulk, relying on which celebration controls the White Home after this 12 months’s presidential election.
The mathematics and the map favor the GOP in 2024. Democrats are defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. Three of these seats are in purple states Trump carried in 2020 — West Virginia, Montana and Ohio.
Democrats are additionally defending an open seat in West Virginia after Sen. Joe Manchin introduced late final 12 months he wouldn’t search re-election.
5 different blue-held seats are in key swing states narrowly carried by President Biden in 2020 — Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
In blue-state Maryland, Senate Republicans scored a recruiting success with fashionable former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan.
Texas and Florida, the place incumbent Sen. Rick Scott is searching for re-election, look like the one aggressive GOP-held seats up for grabs this November.
Get the newest updates from the 2024 marketing campaign path, unique interviews and extra at our Fox Information Digital election hub.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based mostly in New Hampshire.
Texas showdown: Sen. Ted Cruz steps up his sport as conservative firebrand faces bruising re-election race
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