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Colin Allred, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, raised $4.7 million in the third quarter, according to fundraising figures first shared with The Texas Tribune.
Allred, a Dallas congressman, is among several Democrats vying to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is seeking a third term next year.
Cruz’s campaign told Fox News on Monday that he raised $5.4 million in the third quarter, though that was a combined total of money he raised into three separate accounts. A direct comparison of money raised by Cruz and Allred’s respective campaign committees will not be available until the candidates file their third-quarter report, due Sunday.
Allred’s campaign said he now has garnered “nearly” 150,000 individual donors since starting his campaign in May. His average contribution during the third quarter was $29.83 and 95% of donations were under $100.
“Texans’ enthusiasm to retire Ted Cruz – and to elect Colin Allred to the Senate – is reflected in this quarter’s amazing outpouring of grassroots support,” Allred’s campaign manager, Paige Hutchinson, said in a statement.
Allred entered the race in early May and raised $6.2 million through the end of the second quarter, which was June 30. He outraised Cruz, who collected $3.4 million for his campaign committee over the full three-month period.
Allred also transferred $2.4 million from his House campaign account during the second quarter. He made a much smaller transfer during the latest quarter, about $60,000.
Neither Allred nor Cruz has said how much cash on hand their campaign accounts had at the end of the third quarter.
Cruz’s campaign told Fox News he has over $6.7 million cash on hand across the three committees, which are Ted Cruz for Senate, his campaign committee; Ted Cruz Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee; and Jobs, Freedom & Security PAC, a leadership political action committee. Leadership PACs are groups that prominent politicians often use to raise money to support other candidates, and they cannot spend the funds directly on their own campaign efforts.
At the end of the second quarter, Cruz had $4.8 million cash on hand in his campaign account, while Allred had $5.7 million.
Allred is one of at least eight Democrats running for the chance to face Cruz. The field also includes state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, state Rep. Carl Sherman of DeSoto and former Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez.
None of the other Democrats has voluntarily released fundraising numbers ahead of the Sunday deadline to report them to the Federal Election Commission.
