Cruz Announces Another Big Fundraising Haul, Adds Money Men

Ted Cruz's presidential campaign has raised $1.5 million in the couple of days after the Republican candidate beat expectations on Saturday and won more delegates than any of his rivals did.

Cruz spokeswoman Alice Stewart made the announcement Monday morning in an appearance on CNN, calling the haul the campaign's "largest fundraising date to date."

"That goes to show people are rallying behind Ted," Stewart said. "They realize he is the one that can take on Donald Trump."

On Saturday, Cruz handily captured victory in the caucuses in Kansas and Maine. He lost to Trump, the billionaire front-runner, by single digits in the caucus in Kentucky and the primary in Louisiana.

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Cruz added on Tuesday a number of prominent Republican donors to his presidential campaign's finance team:

•    Neil and Maria Bush of Houston
•    Dick and Meg Weekley of Houston
•    John and Ann Bookout of Houston
•    Ashley Keller of Chicago, Illinois
•    Don and Mary Catherine Huffines of Dallas
•    Phillip and Holly Huffines of Dallas
•    Cecilia and Jim Leininger of San Antonio

Several of those named, like Weekley and Bookout, are bold-faced names in the GOP donor world. But the support also indicates Cruz is beginning to consolidate the Texas GOP donor world behind his campaign. A year ago, donors were largely fractured among many campaigns, with candidates who had deep ties to the state.

Neil Bush, in particular, is a key pickup — he is the brother of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush.

Don Huffines, the Dallas state senator, is a frequent donor who previously backed the presidential bid of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Leininger is the founder of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and a longtime backer of former Gov. Rick Perry.

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Cruz is among three Republican presidential candidates meeting with one of their former rivals, Jeb Bush, in the lead-up to the Florida primary.

Bush, the former governor of Florida, plans to huddle with Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida over the "next couple days," according to a spokeswoman for Bush, Kristy Campbell. She did not have any other details.

The group of candidates Bush is meeting with does not include Donald Trump, whom Bush repeatedly clashed with before dropping out of the race last month.

It is not known whether Bush plans to make an endorsement before the winner-take-all primary Tuesday in Florida. The GOP candidates are descending on Miami for a debate Thursday.

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The political reform group No Labels announced Tuesday that it is adding former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, to its advisory board.

Hutchison, who was a senator from 1993 to 2013, said in a statement, “The vitriol of the presidential campaign has only helped to bring the issue of partisan politics to the foreground, and there is an urgent need to address it. ... I am hopeful that, with this team, and with my fellow co-chairs at No Labels, we can create a new paradigm in Washington, one focused on setting goals and working together.”

Started in 2010, No Labels was founded in an attempt to persuade Democrats and Republicans to pursue solutions together to the nation’s most pressing needs.