Ted Cruz Presidency 2016: Super PACs Raise $31 Million
A group of super political action commitees supporting Republican presidential hopeful, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, has allegedly raised $31 million dollars, propelling the Tea Party favorite to the front of the money-raising race.
Bloomberg exclusively revealed earlier this week that a group of four Super PACs raised an unprecedented amount since the senator announced his intentions to run for the Republican Party's nomination for president.
The four super PACs, all called some variation of "Keep the Promise," were expected to reach the number by the end of the week.
PACs do not have any legal limits on donations and the group does not need to reveal its donors to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) until July. However, it is unlikely that grass roots small donations and even bundling, limited at $2,700 per election per individual, could raise the amount in such a short time, posits Bloomberg.
FEC documents name Dathan Voelter, an attorney from Austin, Texas, as the treasurer of three of the PACs and Jacquelyn James, from Port Jefferson Station, New York, as the treasurer of the last PAC.
"We're just getting started ... Our goal is to guarantee Senator Cruz can compete against any candidate. Supporters of the Senator now have a powerful vehicle with the resources necessary to aid in his effort to secure the Republican nomination and win back the White House," the documents prepared by the PACs for the FEC.
Voelter explained to the FEC in a letter that the three PACs "are affiliated with one another for legal and regulatory purposes."
A New York Times report found that James is an accountant with a firm connected to Robert Mercer, a billionaire hedge fund manager and Republican donor.
Although a representative for Mercer did not respond to questions, the Times cited a National Review article explaining that Mercer seeks to take over control one of the super PACs. It could be he helped raise the millions so quickly and is propelling Sen. Cruz forward despite being an unlikely to gain the presidential nominee.
Jumping on the super PAC bandwagon, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has started establishing his own super PAC, called Conservative Solutions, ahead of his announcement on Monday, reports the Washington Post.
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