Ted Cruz Frets Over Colin Allred's Huge Fundraising in Texas

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has claimed Democrats are "flooding millions of dollars" into the state in a bid to unseat him in November.

The Republican said his opponent, House Democrat Colin Allred, has outraised his 2018 rival Beto O'Rourke by a ratio of "three to one."

Currently, the Democrats enjoy a wafer-thin Senate majority, with 51 senators affiliated with the party, against 49 Republicans. However, the GOP is hoping to take control of the chamber in November, and Cruz's seat is an important one for them to defend.

Appearing on Sean Hannity's Fox News show on Wednesday, Cruz said: "My opponent, a liberal Democrat called Colin Allred, is outraising Beto O'Rourke, my last opponent, three to one, they're flooding millions of dollars into Texas, and the reason is simple: you remember my last re-elect.

Referring to the 2018 contest, he said, "It was a three-point race. I won by 2.6 percent. So, [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer, his deal is he floods millions into Texas, he gains three points, and that's how they win."

Cruz defeated O'Rourke in November 2018 by around 4,260,000 votes to 4,046,000, securing re-election to the seat he has held since January 2013.

Allred, a former NFL player turned House Democrat, won his party's primary for Cruz's seat in early March.

According to his campaign, Allred raised $4.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2023; Fox News reported that Cruz gained $5.5 million over the same period.

Newsweek reached out to Cruz and Allred's 2024 Senate campaigns via email for comment.

According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, in 2018, O'Rourke raised over $80 million in his bid to take Cruz's Senate seat. By contrast, an analysis by The Texas Tribune found Cruz raised $33.4 million between January 1, 2017, and October 17, 2018.

There have been calls for an investigation after FEC filings showed iHeartMedia, which hosts Cruz's podcast, paid $630,850 to the Truth and Courage PAC which supports the Texas senator.

iHeartMedia acquired Verdict With Ted Cruz, a podcast the Texas Republican launched in 2020 to discuss Trump's first impeachment in 2022. Cruz's team has said he isn't paid by iHeartMedia for hosting duties.

As iHeartMedia employs lobbyists, it would be impermissible under Senate rules for Cruz to accept gifts except of "nominal value" from the company, especially given his position on the Senate Commerce Committee, The Houston Chronicle reported.

Speaking to Newsweek, a Cruz campaign spokesperson said: "It is always bewildering to see the mainstream media and the Democrats coordinating lazy attacks during an election year. Senator Cruz appears on Verdict three times a week for free.

"He does this to pull back the veil on the corrupt inner workings of Washington—none of which ever get fairly covered. How convenient that the mainstream media and the cogs in the machine of the Biden-Pelosi Democrat Party want this to stop."

A recently published Marist survey of 1,227 Texas adults found Cruz is leading Allred by 52 percent to 45 percent and has an eight-point lead among independents.