Ted Cruz is expected to raise a little more than $20 million in the fourth quarter, campaign aides said Saturday, a substantial haul that matches his rising poll numbers in Iowa and nationwide. The Texas senator, who has gained steam among evangelicals with a series of high-profile endorsements, has long seen his ability to raise money as a way to distinguish himself from less well-funded favorites of the Christian right. Though he is the first candidate to formally announce his fundraising haul, his $20 million is expected to be at or close to the top in the Republican fundraising race. Ted Cruz picks up Bob Vander Plaats endorsement in Iowa An email to supporters written by campaign manager Jeff Roe on Saturday said the campaign raised nearly $47 million in 2015. The exact amount won’t become public until late next month, when the next round of Federal Election Commission reports are filed. Who’s winning the 2016 GOP money race? No other campaign has said so far how much it will raise, though Ben Carson’s campaign raised $20 million in the third quarter and is expected to post a similar amount for the end of the year. Cruz’s announcement on Wednesday came as news emerged that the campaign of Jeb Bush, once envisioned as the GOP field’s top fundraiser, was scrapping its television ad campaign in two key early-voting states to save money. Did Jeb Bush raise enough money to take on Trump? Roe wrote Wednesday that the campaign had received 670,000 donations from 300,000 donors who gave an average of about $67. The campaign did not release how much money it had on hand. “Some campaigns are focused solely on a man, some on a movement. Ours is a hybrid of the two built to win,” Roe said. “There’s still plenty of work to be done to make Ted the Republican nominee and the next President, but as 2015 comes to a close, we are exactly where we want to be. Go. Fight. Win.” A CNN/ORC poll released last week found Cruz in second place for the GOP nomination with 18% support, well behind GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who leads the field with 39%.
