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U.S. Rep. Colin Allred raises $6.2 million in first 2 months of Senate race

By Patrick Svitek
Updated  July 5, 2023 10:27am CDT
Texas Politics
The Texas Tribune

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, raised nearly $6.2 million in roughly the first two months of his campaign against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. He also transferred an additional $2.4 million from his House campaign account.

The numbers, first shared with The Texas Tribune, mean Allred will report about $8.6 million in total receipts between when he launched his Senate campaign on May 3 and the end of the second quarter, which was June 30. His campaign previously announced raising over $2 million in its first 36 hours.

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Allred’s second-quarter fundraising cements his formidability as a fundraiser. Cruz’s last Democratic opponent, Beto O’Rourke, was a fundraising juggernaut at the height of the race, but it took him his first three fundraising quarters — nine months — to raise the $6.2 million that Allred collected in 59 days.

UNITED STATES - APRIL 20: Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, arrives to the U.S. Capitol for the last votes of the week on Thursday, April 20, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

​​"Since day one this campaign has been about bringing people together to beat Ted Cruz and give this state the leadership it deserves," Allred’s campaign manager, Paige Hutchinson, said in a statement. "We are amazed at the outpouring of support, and more confident than ever that we will have the resources to win next November and send Ted Cruz packing."

Cruz has not released his second-quarter fundraising numbers yet. The figures are not due to the Federal Election Commission until July 15.

Allred had 97,600 donors in the second quarter, according to his campaign.

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Allred’s campaign did not release how much cash on hand his Senate account had after the second quarter. Cruz’s reelection committee had a balance of $3.3 million after the first quarter.

Allred’s campaign also said the over $2.4 million that he transferred from his House account included direct funds and in-kind contributions, or non-monetary contributions such as goods and services. The transfer underscores the considerable money Allred already had saved up when he entered the Senate race — his House account had $2.2 million cash on hand at the close of the first quarter.

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Allred will likely face a contested Democratic primary to challenge Cruz. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio is also expected to run, and state Rep. Carl Sherman of DeSoto is newly considering a bid.

Cruz is seeking his third term after a surprisingly close contest in 2018, when he defeated O’Rourke by 3 percentage points. O’Rourke shattered fundraising records in that contest, and Cruz has predicted his 2024 race will be similarly historic.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.