Texas Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke raised more than $10.4 million during the second quarter this year for his campaign against incumbent GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. O'Rourke's haul was more than double the funds raised by Cruz over the same period.
"It's a very positive sign for us that people in Texas believe in this campaign and are making it possible," O'Rourke told The Dallas Morning News in an interview Wednesday. "At this pace, we're raising more than we assumed, maybe even more than we imagined."
O'Rourke's total funds raised for this election are about $23.7 million, and his cash-on-hand sits at about $14 million, according to a news release on Wednesday.
The El Paso congressman announced in a release that he received 215,714 contributions from people and "not a dime from special interests."
“This campaign is proving every single day that going everywhere, fighting for everyone and running without PACs, or special interests isn't just the right thing to do, but the best way to win," O'Rourke said during a Facebook Live update.
"Something really special is happening in Texas and it’s the people in all 254 counties that we’ve visited making it possible one town hall, one volunteer shift, one $5 donation at a time.”
O'Rourke just wrapped up a nine-day and more than 1,000-mile drive across Texas where he emphasized his grassroots efforts at events in cities including San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Austin.
Cruz pulled in $4,591,872 between March and June, bringing his re-election campaign total just under $23.7 million. He has $10.4 million in cash-on-hand going into the final four months before the November midterm elections.
"Sen. Cruz is deeply grateful to the Texans who support his policies and values of conservatism and constitutionalism," campaign spokeswoman Emily Miller told TheBlaze in a written statement.
“The last month has made the decision for voters more clear. Texans now see Democrat Rep. Beto O’Rourke wants open borders and gun control. He said he is 'open to' abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and would vote to impeach Pres. Donald Trump," Miller said. “In contrast, Sen. Cruz has spent the last six years successfully fighting for the issues that matter to Texans: promoting jobs, cutting taxes, reducing regulations, securing the border, expanding school choice and defending the Constitution.”
Results of a recent survey showed Cruz with a 9-point lead over O'Rourke with a 4-point margin of error. Gravis, a nonpartisan marketing firm, surveyed 602 likely voters between July 3-7.
The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales both rate Cruz as the likely winner in November.
A Democrat hasn't won a statewide election in Texas since 1994.
The candidates have until Sunday to file their quarterly reports with the Federal Election Comission.
