As a presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz is proving to be a powerhouse for fundraisers with SuperPacs supporting him saying they will have raised $31 million by Friday.
SuperPacs operate independently from campaigns but the four which collected the contributions are run by Dathan Voelter, an Austin attorney who is a friend of Cruz’s. The SuperPacs supporting Cruz use variations of the phrase “Keep the Promise.” Bloomberg News first reported that the SuperPacs supporting Cruz had raised $31 million since forming Monday.
Cruz’s campaign itself collected $4 million, primarily from small donors, since the Texas senator launched his campaign March 23 in Lynchburg, Va. at Liberty University. SuperPacs can collect unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, unions and associations and generally reflect big-dollar donations.
Cruz is on a fund raising swing this month, after an event in Austin Monday night, he will hold events in San Diego the 15th, New York City the 20th and 21st, Chicago the 22nd, Dallas, the 23rd, Midland, Texas the 27th and in Ohio the 28th.
Cruz’s wife, Heidi, has taken a leave from her job as a managing director of Goldman Sach’s Houston office.
According to Hal Lambert, a Fort Worth investor who is the Cruz campaign’s national finance co-chair, “He has said that he and Heidi will be working 16 hours a day, six days a week.”