(Bloomberg) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred has a fundraising advantage over his Republican rival, Ted Cruz, as the race for Cruz’s Texas Senate seat heats up.
The former National Football League linebacker has collected $30.3 million in the past three months, while Cruz has collected $21 million in the same period, his campaign announced this week.
Mr. Cruz said he had $16.2 million in cash on hand for the final four weeks of the campaign, but Allred’s campaign did not release the figure ahead of a filing deadline later this month. For the reporting period that ended June 30, Mr. Cruz had $14.8 million available to spend, compared to Allred’s $10.7 million.
Allred, who was first elected to the House in 2018, is seeking to leverage support from independents, younger voters, the state’s growing Hispanic population and an influx of transplants from Democratic states like California and New York due to the pandemic. Opinion polls regularly show him outperforming Vice President Kamala Harris in the state, where former President Donald Trump holds a lead of about 6 percentage points.
A Morning Consult poll last month showed Mr. Allred leading Mr. Cruz by one point, but within the margin of error. A Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation poll also conducted in September showed Mr. Cruz leading by 3 points, a smaller advantage than Republicans enjoyed in many polls earlier this year.
If Allred wins, it would be the first statewide victory for Democrats in 30 years, and a major victory in a year where the Senate map favored Republicans.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently acknowledged that the race in Texas is closer than ever, changing its rating from “likely Republican” to “leaning Republican.” Changed.
Cruz, who is seeking a third term in the U.S. Senate, has previously defeated opponents who have raised more money. In 2018, liberal darling Beto O’Rourke raised nearly $80 million, almost twice as much as Cruz, but lost.
A debate between Mr. Cruz and Mr. Allred is scheduled for October 15th in Dallas.
–With assistance from Julie Fine.
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