The Ted Cruz campaign has been requested to clarify or return nearly $1 million in contributions that apparently exceeded the limit for individuals, according to a report.
Concretely, the Federal Election Commission sent a letter to Cruz's campaign on Sunday asking about 200 such contributions, which apparently are over $3,300, some of them by several thousands of dollars. The letter reportedly includes a 97-page list of donations over the limit.
The campaign now faces three choices: return the money by December 9, face an audit or enforcement action, the San Antonio Current detailed.
The senator's reelection team had already received a formal complaint regarding the issue in April over money sent from a company that syndicates his podcast to a PAC backing Cruz, the Texas Tribune reported.
The controversy illustrates how many has marked one of the most expensive campaigns in state history. Cruz and his challenger, Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, collectively raised $132 million in the first three quarters of the year. The latter made inroads in the third quarter, raising more than $30 million compared to Cruz's $21.
Allred outpaced Cruz in every quarter. His campaign reported collecting 1.8 million individual contributions and $68.7 million in total receipts since its launch, along with contributions from 252 of Texas' 254 counties and an average donation of $36.57.
Cruz is facing a tougher-than-expected challenge from Allred, with nonpartisan forecaster The Cook Political Report describing the race as a "Lean Republican" one after starting out as a "Likely Republican" one.
Cruz maintained a slight edge in the home stretch, with the last poll before the contest still showing him ahead of his contender.
Conducted by Morning Consult between October 22 and 31 among 2,120 likely voters, the survey shows Cruz getting 47% of the support, compared to Allred's 44%. Four other polls released during the week show similar scenarios, with the incumbent ahead by three or four percentage points.
The candidates continued pushing their message during their final campaign weekend. Cruz went to El Paso and McAllen to address Latino-heavy populations near the border, while Allred sought to mobilize supporters in his hometown of Dallas.
Allred has been touting endorsements from former Republicans as he seeks to portray himself as a moderate candidate able to reach out across the aisle. He has been endorsed by the Dallas Morning News, whose board said that while there were areas where they felt more aligned with Cruz, they ultimately felt Cruz failed to measure up to Allred where it mattered most.
Allred has also been endorsed by Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney. Kinzinger famously departed from the mainstream GOP after the January 6 Assault on the Capitol, even serving on the House committee that investigated the events. He was also one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 elections and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August of this year.
Cruz, in contrast, scored the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with the group making the announcement during a tour through the state. "As a leader in the U.S. Senate, Ted Cruz has been a champion for pro-growth policies that help Texas businesses, individuals, and families achieve their American dream," said Neil Bradley, the group's executive vice president and chief policy officer.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
