Ted Cruz Makes Waves: Raises $51 Million in Second Quarter

Senator Ted Cruz isn’t only the most talked about Republican presidential candidate of the entire field on social media, he’s also doing well fundraising-wise. The senator from Texas announced yesterday that his campaign and allied PACs raised more than $51 million in the second quarter. This means that he’s one of the few candidates who’s actually able to build a war chest necessary to beat a) progressive Republican Jeb Bush and, after that, b) progressive Democrat Hillary Clinton.

No wonder, then, that the campaign is elated:

The aggregate total of over $51 million means that, along with Cruz’s strong support from the conservative grassroots across the country, Cruz’s campaign will have the resources, the manpower, and the energy to compete vigorously in all early state contests, as well as nationally in the Super Tuesday states on March 1st.

Cruz himself explained:

The grassroots energy and support we are seeing is overwhelming. In Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina – and all across the country – we are seeing courageous conservatives coming together for real change. We’re reassembling the Reagan coalition – from conservatives to libertarians to people of Faith – and with the help of so many supporters, we will be able to deliver our optimistic message all across the country.

Jeb Bush’s allies said earlier this year that they hoped to raise $100 million in the same period. Hillary Clinton will undoubtedly do the same. That’s a difference of $50 million, but it’s good news for Cruz nonetheless: he’s likely the best-funded conservative candidate out there and may, with these results, convince the conservative base to rally behind him. If they do, it’ll be for the first time in several election cycles that conservatives have a well-funded candidate of their own… which means they may actually win this time around.

Of course, this does mean that conservative voters have to turn their backs on other candidates that they may like, but who are less well-funded. A Rick Santorum comes to mind. Will conservatives be smart and choose sides early on, or will they let the establishment divide them, which will undoubtedly result in a victory for Jeb?

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