Cruz reports $4.3 million campaign donations

Sen. Ted Cruz’s, R-Texas, presidential campaign collected $4.3 million in the first quarter according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Cruz has enjoyed a robust fundraising period since being the first major candidate to announce his presidential campaign March 23rd in Lynchburg.

Cruz’s campaign said it had collected $4.3 million with expenditures of $371,513. Among the major donors listed many were from Texas, including his finance co-chair, Hal Lambert, a Fort Worth investor, San Antonio billionaire Red McCombs, who hosted a reception for Cruz last night in San Antonio and the family of Bob McNair, a Republican activist who owns the Houston Texans football team. The filing was due April 15.

Cruz caused a splash last week when four closely linked SuperPacs supporting him said that they had collected $31 million within a week of being formed. The amount astonished political operatives, with consultant Dave Carney, who has worked for numerous Texas Republicans on state campaigns, telling McClatchy that it was “mind-boggling” to raise that much at the start of a campaign.

This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 9:59 AM with the headline "Cruz reports $4.3 million campaign donations."