Ted Cruz is courting campaign cash from the same Wall Street bankers he dismissed as 'crony capitalists'
Next week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is holding a fundraiser at the Harvard Club in Manhattan where the cost of entry is $1,000 apiece; $2,700 will get you a ticket to a VIP reception with Ted Cruz and his wife, Heidi, and $25,000 makes you an event chairman. Cruz's target is Wall Street bankers. He needs their contributions to compete with Donald Trump in the final sprint to the Republican convention, Ben White reports at Politico. And Cruz is not popular on Wall Street, despite the fact that his wife is on leave from a position at Goldman Sachs.
Cruz, who has already taken in $12 million from the financial industry, has criticized Wall Street "crony capitalism" and government bailouts for "rich Wall Street banks," and bankers have noticed. "There are a few reasons Wall Street won't fully back him," a senior investment banker at a blue chip firm told White. "The first is his hard stance on social issues like abortion and gay marriage. The second is his general unlikability and the fact that he probably can't win. And the third is all the bashing he's done of Wall Street despite Heidi and everything else. People remember that."
But Cruz will probably rake in campaign cash on Monday anyway, in part because Wall Street dislikes and fears Donald Trump more — and many don't believe that Cruz would sink down-ballot Republicans as much as Trump would. You can read more about Cruz's Wall Street endeavors, and some choice quotes about Cruz from bankers, at Politico.
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.
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
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is the Gaza war tearing US university campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US 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