Ted Cruz's Democratic opponent raises $1M for Senate campaign
Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, raised over $1 million in just two months for his campaign challenging the Senate seat of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is up for reelection in 2018.
After announcing his candidacy in March, O'Rourke was able to raise the funds online in April and May alone, according to reports from Politico. The Federal Election Commission will post second quarter fundraising numbers online by mid-July, which will show O'Rourke's financial stats for April, May and June.
The Democratic competitor to Cruz's Republican spot in the Senate currently represents Texas's 16th district in the House, which includes El Paso. He's running a progressive, unconventional campaign focusing on the power of grassroots organization.
"I don't know about the Democratic Party right now, but anytime we are waiting for someone out of central headquarters, waiting to figure something out, we might as well give up," O'Rourke told CBS News in April. "I just know what I'm hearing in Texas, and what I feel as a Texan. There are too many people who want to work and who are skilled and can't find that work."
O'Rourke is the lone Democrat on the Senate ballot for Texas thus far. However, despite raising a significant amount of money in a short period of time, no Democratic candidate has won a statewide elected position in Texas since 1994.
A Republican candidate has yet to announce a bid challenging Cruz in the primaries, either.
Before announcing his candidacy, O'Rourke paired up with Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, and rented a car in their home state, starting an impromptu road trip to Washington, D.C. after the bipartisan duo realized their flights were canceled due to an East Coast snowstorm. On the road, O'Rourke and Hurd utilized various social media platforms and held a live Facebook town hall.
