Cruz Raises $1.31 Million in First Quarter

Former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz raised $1.31 million in the first three months of 2012 in his bid to be the next U.S. Senator from Texas, his campaign announced this morning.

Congressional candidates are required to submit campaign finance reports for the first quarter of the year on Sunday.  Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's campaign revealed yesterday that it would report raising $1.66 million in individual contributions during the quarter.

“We continue to see an incredible outpouring of support from conservatives across Texas and across the nation,” Cruz spokesman James Bernsen said in a statement. “Although Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst can extract millions from Austin lobbyists, and can dump his own vast personal fortune into this race, over 17,000 conservatives have stepped forward to ensure that the next senator from Texas is a strong conservative fighter who will stand up to Barack Obama.”

Cruz has now raised more than $5.2 million from more than 17,000 donors since launching his campaign last year, according to the campaign. Outside groups including Freedom Works and the Club for Growth have also been supporting Cruz's campaign through their political action committees.

Cruz, Dewhurst, and fellow Republicans Tom Leppert, a former Dallas Mayor and Craig James, a former ESPN analyst, will participate in a live televised debate in Dallas on Friday.