It's Official: Rep. Beto O'Rourke Has Raised at Least Twice as Much as Sen. Ted Cruz So Far This Year

WASHINGTON -- It's official: El Paso Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke has raised more than twice as much as Sen. Ted Cruz so far this year in their closely watched Senate contest.The Cruz campaign announced Friday it has raised $3.2 million since the beginning of 2018, less than half of O’Rourke’s record-setting $6.8 million.But in calculating the figures, the Cruz campaign included funds from both his primary re-election committee, a joint fundraising committee and a leadership political action committee dubbed the Jobs, Freedom and Security PAC, his spokeswoman said.Taken alone, his Cruz’s primary re-election campaign has raised about $2.7 million in the first three months of 2018, documents show. A report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday, covering the period of Feb. 15 through end of March, reveals $1.85 million in total receipts, a figure that includes nearly $376,000 in transfers from authorized committees. He previously reported about $800,000 for the first six weeks of the year.O’Rourke, meanwhile, has disavowed the help of political action committees. The Democrat’s campaign previously announced raising $6.7 million in the first quarter of the year, but the latest federal filing shows that figure slightly higher, at $6.8 million.Outside of self-funding, that’s more than any Texan has raised in a single reporting period for a U.S. Senate contest in at least three decades, if not in the state's history.  Continue reading...