Colin Allred outraises Ted Cruz, outpaces Beto O’Rourke’s early 2018 fundraising
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Dallas Congressman Colin Allred raised more than $9.5 million in this year's first quarter, outraising U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in the race for his seat.
This year, Cruz has raised $6.9 million in the first quarter, according to new filings with the Federal Elections Commission.
Allred is also surpassing the numbers Beto O'Rourke was bringing in at this stage of his campaign in 2018, when the El Paso Democrat ran the most competitive statewide campaign for his party in decades. During the first quarter of 2018, O’Rourke raised over $6.7 million in his race against Cruz, but ultimately lost.
"He had the most money of anybody running for Senate that year. And he spent it down to near zero. And he still came up short," said Brian Smith, politics professor at St. Edward's University.
O'Rourke smashed fundraising records and still lost. Will Allred be different?
During the entire cycle, O'Rourke raised more than $80 million dollars, setting records for fundraising in a senate race. His fundraising skyrocketed months before the general election in 2018, raising more than $38.1 million in the third quarter — a record-breaking amount fo a senate campaign.
O'Rourke spent almost all of that money, ending with a $477,000 in the bank and a 3-point defeat by Cruz.
"You have to spend a ton of money simply because the great size of the state, traveling around the state is not free," Smith said. "And the number of voters who vote is a lot, but the number of voters who don't vote is an equal amount. Trying to motivate those people is going to cost a lot of money."
In a statement, Cruz campaign spokesperson Nick Maddux said Texas' junior senator is off to a "very strong start" in fundraising.
"His quarter-one fundraising numbers reflect Texans' urgency for victory as Democrats threaten to strip away our common-sense way of life," Maddux said. "Senator Cruz will continue to pound the pavement day in and day out, meeting and talking to Texans in every corner of the state to Keep Texas, Texas, and ensure that we remain the nation's bastion of liberty."
Allred supporters acknowledge that O'Rourke helped create excitement for national Democrats about the prospect of finally winning a statewide office in Texas, but say Allred has secured confidence from donors.
Matt Angle — founder of the Lone Star Project, a PAC devoted to electing Texas Democrats — believes Allred has established himself as someone who can beat Cruz. Angle and his PAC have contributed to the Dallas Democrat's campaign for senate.
"In Texas, the first hurdle you have to overcome is confidence with donors that you've got a chance to win," he said.
Angle said part of his confidence in the campaign comes from Allred's 2018 race, when he succesfully beat out a longtime Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions.
"I think that Colin has reestablished that momentum I think that went away a little bit in 2022, when Beto underperformed," Angle said. "And I think if Collin's building on any fundraising success, it's his own when he ran and won a Republican seat for Congress in 2018. So I think you've got to give Colin credit for doing this."
Allred has raised nearly $30 million since his launched his campaign in May 2023. Those come from $27.9 million since launching his campaign last May, with the average donation totalling $34.75 coming from 285,000 unique contribitions.
Cruz had over 179,000 indiviudal contributions this past quarter, averaging at $35.73 per donation. Across multiple fundraising operations, like his own PAC, he has over $15.1 million in cash on hand.
With few competitive senate races nationally this cycle, political analysts say states like Texas are obvious choices for national donors.
"Spending money in Texas is a wise investment, because spending it elsewhere isn't going to matter," Smith said.