$4 Million!
By John Drogin
Terrific news — our Senate campaign has now raised over $4 million, effectively tying the overall fundraising of the sitting Lieutenant Governor.
In the fourth fundraising quarter of 2011, our campaign raised $1,093,837 and as of mid-January, the campaign has now overall raised substantially more than $4 million!
Our campaign’s fundraising has remained steady and strong for five consecutive quarters. In contrast, David Dewhurst’s fundraising dropped precipitously—falling 42%—from Q3 to Q4, just his second quarter of fundraising.
In addition, there is a substantial difference in the source of funds for both campaigns. We’ve been funded by an extraordinary coalition of grassroots donors across Texas and the nation. In contrast, Dewhurst has focused very heavily on donations from professional lobbyists and special interest PACs. Take a look at the numbers:
Our campaign has had 12,450 donors; Dewhurst has reported 823. Our average donation is $319 while Dewhurst’s is $2,286. And yet their overall total raised is the same.
In an astonishing show of support, we have had more donors just in the City of Houston (870) than Dewhurst reported in the entire State of Texas (798).
The fact that some candidates in this race have vast personal wealth doesn’t mean that they can simply buy a Senate seat. No candidate can ignore the grassroots and win, and grassroots voters in Texas are overwhelmingly united behind Ted Cruz.
In addition, a new independent poll shows Cruz surging. Since the last PPP poll, Dewhurst’s support has dropped from 41% to 36%, while Cruz’s support has increased from 12% to 18%. That’s an 11-point swing in just a few months— and we’ve yet to spend a penny on paid television or radio ads.
Four facts are critical to predicting the outcome in this race: (1) in a run-off, the candidate with greater voter intensity (i.e., Cruz) almost always wins; (2) to avoid a run-off, a candidate needs over 50% of the vote on primary day; (3) not a single third-party poll has ever shown Dewhurst anywhere close to 50%; and (4) current polling puts Dewhurst at 36% and dropping—far short of the threshold needed to avoid a run-off.
Will you help us build on this incredible fundraising success by contributing $100, $50 or, $25 today? And please spread the word to your friends.
Please build on this tremendous fundraising momentum by helping us get 50 more grassroots donations today: $100, $50 or $25. Then share the news by spreading the word on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks again!
