Posted on 12/31/2015 11:12:43 AM PST by Isara
Sen. Ted Cruz has established himself in recent weeks as a legitimate contender for the Republican nomination. The Texas senator is winning in Iowa, gaining more traction in the polls nationally, and, in so doing, earning more time in the media limelight. But the most promising part of Cruz's rise is what's going on behind the scenes, where he's quietly raising huge amounts of money and garnering the support of key faith leaders.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Cruz raised nearly $20 million in the fourth quarter, which it notes is "a 66% increase over the previous three-month period." As Cruz has gained in the polls nationally, demonstrating that he is a solid challenger to frontrunner Donald Trump, donations have been flooding in.
Jeff Roe, Mr. Cruz's campaign manager, said in a memo to staff and supporters that the campaign's year end fundraising total would come to more than $45 million, up from the $26 million raised by the end of September.
The $20 million haul in the final three months of 2015 is up sharply from the $12.2 million raised in the third quarter, a bonanza that came as polls showed Mr. Cruz rising to a top-tier candidate from a back-of-the-pack contender in the crowded GOP candidate field.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of that donation surge is that it comes from all over the country and hundreds of thousands of individual donors. In his announcement, Roe touts 300,000 donors giving from 66% of U.S zip codes.
As WSJ and others have noted, the Cruz campaign has better managed its funds than most of the competition, by the end of last quarter having more cash on hand than any other Republican candidate. After this quarter's fundraising boon, Cruz is even better off financially going into Iowa.
An important contingent of support for Cruz is the faith community, in which he has been consistently strong—and getting stronger. This week Cruz met with around 300 prominent faith leaders, representing a wide range of denominations. The Washington Post provides some details on the event, which it says participants deemed an "overwhelming success" and resulted in key endorsements:
Cruz allies said the two-day gathering, capping off with a rally where Cruz delivered his standard stump speech, followed by a performance from the Christian rock band The Newsboys, was an overwhelming success. By the end of the six-hour meeting Monday, dozens of the visitors lined up outside a closed room to tape video endorsements of the Cruz presidential bid. Some attended Super PAC and campaign fundraisers held Tuesday in Cisco that were timed to coincide with the fly-in. [...]
Those in attendance at the Monday sessions included prominent televangelists, such as John Hagee, pastor of the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, and James Dobson, founder of the Focus on the Family organization. Richard Land, president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary and a longtime leader of the Southern Baptist Convention, was there, according to interviews with attendees, most of whom were not authorized to discuss the off-the-record session. They said that there were a number of Hispanic and African American clerics in the audience, including Gonzalez and Voddie Baucham, a well-known pastor in Texas.
As The Daily Wire has reported, Cruz has continued to be extremely popular among conservative Christians, particularly for his passionate defense of religious freedom, strong pro-life stance, and the apparent genuineness of his faith.
Nooo!
He’s not getting stronger!
He can’t possibly win!
His wife used to work for Build-A-Bear!
He dresses funny!
He’s covered with tats!
He hasn’t released his position on the authenticity of the Pericope Adulterae!
I am trying to remember how many evangelicals Teddy said did not vote in 2008 and 2012 - astonishing numbers. Anyone know?
Anyone else on his conference call this morning?
We’ve got the smart, Christian, constitutional conservative, well organized, capable candidate we have longed for.....
So... Go Trump!
“Surging Ted” can’t see Trump’s tail from where he is “On the rise?” to what 15%?
Another “conservative” for Trump?
Worse, a New Yorker.
21 million
>>It’s time for the movement to rally around Ted Cruz...<<
Agreed. I held my nose and voted for Dole, for McCain, and for Romney, but I won’t be voting for Donald Trump under any circumstances. That said, I’d vote for Cruz, Rubio, Carson, Fiorina, and even Jeb Bush or Christie, if it came to that, and I think I’ve got a lot of company in feeling the way I do. I simply won’t vote for an uncouth boor, nor, I suspect, will many other traditional GOP voters.
So, Iowans, straighten this messy GOP primary process out by coalescing around one of the non-Trump candidates and give him or her a resounding victory, one large enough to get the attention of New Hampshire voters, and large enough to convince the also-rans, whoever they turn out to be, to reconsider their runs and drop out.
Because if Trump is the nominee there are a lot of us who will choose the third alternative to Hillary and Trump, that being to stay home and let the rest of you take credit for the mess this country will become under either one of them. And you know what? I think a lot of former Dem voters will feel the same way. A lot of them will not hold their noses and vote for Hillary.
In fact, if those two are destined to be the party candidates, it’s highly likely we’ll see a 3rd party candidacy, and possibly even a 4th.
So you are saying that you will be supporting Hillary if Trump is the nominee? You DO know that a vote for any third party candidate, by denying a Republican vote, is like staying home. Your vote for a third party is pointless, but it could help Hillary get elected.
Please explain to me why an "uncouth boor" with who loves America and puts her interests first is worse than helping to elect Hillary. I will assume you know Hillary's numerous crimes, lies, and deaths she is responsible for.
Do you really disagree so much with what Trump stands for? Or is just his style that offends you, as you have written? If you require a candidate without flaws, with the right style, someone you agree completely with, you, it will be a long wait if Cruz does not get the nomination.
I obviously strongly support Trump, BUT I will vote for the Republican nominee, even Jeb or Christie, to prevent Hillary and her minions from taking over the country.
Cruz is my second choice. I will not only support Cruz if he wins the nomination, I will also work for him. All Cruz supporters I know say they will support Trump if he is the nominee. You are the first Cruz supporter I have met who has adopted a dog-in-the-manger attitude about the nomination.
I believe in a Republican Unity Pledge. Yes, I know we conservatives have been used and abused by the GOPe over the years in elections. This is one year where the GOPe will probably not control the nomination. Every Presidential election is of vital importance, but it is not just because on particular person gets elected President.
If Hillary gets elected, she won't be alone. She will be selecting a whole army of bureaucrats, 100,000 strong, who will take control of all the levers of government, advancing her agenda in thousands of non-legislative ways. I am sure you know how 0bama has infected and corrupted every governmental department he has appointed people to.
Norseman, I hope you will reconsider your view of Trump should he win the nomination. After not working for McCain or Romney although I did vote for them, I have learned that all my righteous indignation did was hand control of America to its enemies. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.
Of course, what I write here applies to all supporters of all candidates. If Trump does not win the nomination, I will be working hard for whoever the nominee is to get all the supporters of Trump and other candidates to make sure another lying evil Marxist does not take control of our government.
I’m sorry, but we’ve had 7 years of the most divisive President ever. I have no intention of taking part in electing the second one. You can put Trump up on a pedestal if you want, but my parents and grandparents would have considered him the same as I do, an ill-mannered boor who has no business asking for the privilege of being the leader of the free world.
He hangs will Bill and Hillary. What more do you need to know?
But my original point was that I’m far from alone. Those of you who support Trump should consider that, just as you’re asking me to consider whether I would take an action that would elect Hillary. You just might be doing the same, after all. Consider that, and consider voting instead for your second choice, any one of which I will most certainly vote for. It’s not all on us; it’s on you too.
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