Cruz Camp Reports Raising Up to $10M in Three Months

Ted Cruz's presidential campaign expects to report later this month that it has raised as much as $10 million since launching more than three months ago.

The Texas Republican was first out of the gate when he announced in March he was running for president. He went on to raise $4.3 million in his campaign's first nine days.

Confirming figures first reported in The Washington Post, Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler said Monday the campaign was on track to rake in $8 million to $10 million for both the first and second quarters. That means Cruz raised anywhere from $3.7 million to $5.7 million during the second quarter, information that should be public on or after July 15.

The activity of pro-Cruz money super PACs, though, is likely to push the total amount of money raised by the campaign and those supporting groups to $50 million or higher.

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State Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, asked Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday to call a special session of the Legislature so lawmakers can “remove state and local officials from the process of issuing marriage licenses.”

Instead, Simpson says, clergy members who don’t oppose same-sex marriage should be the ones issuing marriage licenses — or notaries if the couples don’t want a religious ceremony.

Simpson’s request followed the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriages across the country, which Simpson said would “force our county and state officials to violate their most cherished beliefs.”

Simpson is running to replace state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, who is not running for re-election.

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State Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, will once again chair the chamber’s Select Committee on Transportation Planning, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced this week.

The committee, which helps plan for Texas' transportation future, will also include state Sens. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood; Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen; Joan Huffman, R-Houston; and Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, each of whom Patrick called “hard working senators” with vast “leadership, legislative experience and commitment to the State of Texas.”

Nichols, Patrick said, is the “perfect person to lead” the committee again.

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Patrick also named his appointments to a joint oversight committee set up to address the issue of deferred maintenance at government buildings and facilities.

The deplorable condition of some government buildings made news during session, spurring legislation on the topic.

The Senate appointees to the oversight panel are Eltife, chairman; Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills; and Kirk Watson, D-Austin.

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Cruz also hit the road this week to promote his new book, A Time for Truth: Reigniting the Promise of America, beginning in his home state.

Cruz's presidential campaign held book signings Wednesday in Houston and Katy, as well as Thursday in Arlington and Waxahachie. The tour then heads out of state, with stops next week in Georgia, South Carolina and Iowa.

The book, which is both memoir and political biography, went on sale Tuesday.

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Rick Perry launched a new online fundraising appeal this week for his official campaign account.

In the animated video, Perry injects a healthy dose of humor in his attempt to demonstrate how his stewardship of the Texas economy resulted in greater opportunities for Texas workers.

And, for good measure, a Hot Pocket was thrown in as a signifier of a better life in Texas.