“Sen. Cruz’s ongoing fundraising strength is reflective of the effective and principled leadership he has displayed in the U.S. Senate," said a spokeswoman. Cruz builds war chest for reelect

Sen. Ted Cruz is sitting on a war chest of more than $5 million as he prepares for potentially stiff challenges in both a Republican primary and in the general election, according to numbers provided to POLITICO.

The Texas Republican raised about $1.738 million in the first three months of this year across his Senate reelection campaign, his political action committee and the Ted Cruz Victory Committee. He now has $5.2 million across those three committees, and $4.8 million of that is in his Senate reelection account.


“Sen. Cruz’s ongoing fundraising strength is reflective of the effective and principled leadership he has displayed in the U.S. Senate," said Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for Cruz.

Cruz earned his first serious general election opponent last month when Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) announced he will jump in the race. O'Rourke had about $400,000 in his House campaign account at the end of last year. He has said he will not take PAC money, and national Democrats are protecting a host of incumbent senators, putting O'Rourke at an early disadvantage.

Cruz may also face Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) or another Republican in the race's primary, though McCaul has not made any decision to run.

One of Cruz's greatest strengths in his reelection is his national fundraising network. He raised money from nearly 18,000 different people in the January-through-March period.