Beto O'Rourke is crushing fundraising records. He still probably won't beat GOP Sen. Ted Cruz.
Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) is crushing fundraising records in his campaign to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). But will it matter?
On Friday, O'Rourke tweeted a video revealing his campaign had raked in $38.1 million over the last three-month fundraising quarter. That significantly beat out the previous quarterly record for a Senate candidate, set in 2000 when former Rep. Rick Lazio (R-N.Y.) raised $22 million in his losing Senate bid against Hillary Clinton. It's also about triple the $12 million Cruz's campaign says it's raised in the same amount of time, per the Texas Tribune.
None of the donors were corporations or PACs, O'Rourke's campaign touted. But the idea that O'Rourke supporters are from "everywhere" — not necessarily just Texas — has become a sticking point. In September, Cruz suggested O'Rourke's money was coming from "wealthy liberal[s] sitting in New York City or Massachusetts or San Francisco."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Despite the cash flow, O'Rourke was still 9 points behind Cruz in a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. That caused at least one Democratic former Senate staffer to lament the potentially wasted millions going to O'Rourke's campaign. Kathryn Krawczyk
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - papal ideas, high-powered debates, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 sleeper hit cartoons about Trump's struggles to stay awake in court
Cartoons Artists take on courtroom tranquility, war on wokeness, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The true story of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
In depth The writer's fall from grace with his high-flying socialite friends in 1960s Manhattan is captured in a new Disney+ series
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published