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2024 Texas Elections

Colin Allred raises $30 million in third quarter of 2024, outpacing Ted Cruz

The staggering fundraising numbers mean that Cruz and Allred have collectively raised at least $132 million, surpassing the final combined haul from 2018.

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U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, speaks during the first general session at the Texas Democratic Convention on June 7, 2024, in El Paso.
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune

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U.S. Rep. Colin Allred raised $30.3 million for his Senate campaign in the third quarter of the year, outpacing U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s haul over the same three-month period, according to figures announced by both campaigns.

Cruz, the Republican incumbent, raised more than $21 million across his three fundraising accounts, which include a leadership PAC that cannot spend directly on Cruz’s reelection and a joint fundraising committee that sends money to Cruz’s main campaign account and his leadership PAC.

The fundraising deficit is nothing new for Cruz, who has struggled to keep pace with Allred this cycle after being vastly outraised by 2018 Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke. Before the latest fundraising quarter, Allred had raised $38 million to Cruz’s $23 million across their main campaign accounts. When including affiliated PACs, Allred held a narrower advantage: $41.2 million to Cruz’s $40 million.

Cruz closed out the quarter — which ran from the start of July through the end of September — with $16.2 million cash on hand across his three accounts, according to the GOP senator’s campaign. Allred’s campaign did not say how much cash he had in his accounts.

Allred’s $30 million haul is a massive sum, though short of the record $38 million O’Rourke raised in the third quarter of 2018. The Dallas Democrat has raised nearly $69 million since the start of the campaign, however, surpassing the $61 million O’Rourke had collected by the same point.

The fundraising news comes as Allred appears to be narrowing the gap in a race that Cruz has led from the start. Allred has been routinely polling within the margin of error with Cruz, and national Democrats announced last month they were including Texas in a multimillion-dollar ad buy from their Senate campaign arm. Two leading elections forecasters have recently shifted their outlook for the contest from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.”

The latest staggering fundraising numbers mean that Cruz and Allred have collectively raised at least $132 million since the start of the Senate race, smashing the nearly $90 million Cruz and O’Rourke had collected by the same point in 2018 and even surpassing the roughly $119 million they combined to raise by the end of the campaign. Cruz defeated O’Rourke by less than 3 percentage points.

Voting FAQ: 2024 Elections

  • When is the next election? What dates do I need to know?

    Election Day for the general election is November 5, and early voting will run from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. The deadline to register to vote and/or change your voter registration address is Oct. 7. Applications to vote by mail must be received by your county of residence – not postmarked – by Oct. 25.

  • What’s on the ballot for the general election?

    In addition to the president, eligible Texans have the opportunity to cast their ballots for many Texas officials running for office at the federal, state and local levels.
    This includes representatives in the U.S. and Texas houses and the following elected offices:
    -1 U.S Senator (Ted Cruz)
    - 1 of 3 Railroad Commissioners
    - 15 State Senators
    - 7 State Board of Education members
    - 3 members of the Texas Supreme Court
    - 3 members of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    - 5 Chief Justices and various justices for Texas Courts of Appeals

    Lower-level judges and local county offices will also appear on the ballot:
    - Various district judges, including on criminal and family courts
    - County Courts at Law
    - Justices of the Peace
    - District Attorneys
    - County Attorneys
    - Sheriffs
    - Constables
    - Tax Assessor-Collectors

  • How do I make sure I’m registered to vote?

    You can check to see if you’re registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of State’s website. You’ll need one of the following three combinations to log in: Your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth. Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in. Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier, which appears on your voter registration certificate.

  • What if I missed the voter registration deadline?

    You must be registered to vote in a Texas county by Oct. 7 to vote in the Nov. 5 presidential election. You can still register for other elections.
    If you’re registered but didn’t update your address by the deadline, you may still be able to vote at your previous voting location or on a limited ballot. (Voters are typically assigned precincts based on where they live. In most major counties, voters can vote anywhere on Election Day, but some counties require you vote within your precinct. If that is the case, you may have to return to your previous precinct. See which counties allow countywide Election Day voting here. You can usually find your precinct listed on your voter registration certificate or on when checking your registration online.)
    If you moved from one county to another, you may be able to vote on a ballot limited to the elections you would qualify to vote in at both locations, such as statewide races. However, limited ballots are only available during early voting. Find your county election official here and contact them to ask about or request a limited ballot.

  • What can I do if I have questions about voting?

    You can contact your county elections official or call the Texas Secretary of State's helpline at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). A coalition of voting rights groups is also helping voters navigate election concerns through the 866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) voter-protection helpline. The coalition also has hotlines available for voters who speaker other languages or have accessibility needs.
    For help in Spanish, call 888-VE-Y-VOTA or 888-839-8682.
    For help in Asian languages, call 888-API-VOTE or 888-274-8683.
    For help in Arabic, call 888-YALLA-US or 888-925-5287.
    For help in American Sign Language through a video, call 301-818-VOTE or 301-818-8683.
    For help from Disability Rights Texas, call 888-796-VOTE or 888-796-8683.

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