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.