Over the coming weeks, Ted Cruz will be joined by several other announced candidates 2016 Cruz raises $4 million in first 8 days

Ted Cruz raked in around $4 million in the eight days following his presidential kickoff last week, his campaign announced Thursday.

The Texas Republican, the first candidate to formally launch a 2016 campaign, has capitalized on a wave of attention since kicking off his campaign last week at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. In his speech, he cast himself as a steadfast conservative who, if elected, would roll back much of President Barack Obama’s agenda.


Facing a crowded Republican field, Cruz, a tea party-aligned senator elected in 2012, is trying to erase doubts early on about whether he can raise enough money to compete against candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who have established broad bases of fundraising support. Bush has spent recent months crisscrossing the country to raise money for a super PAC, Right to Rise, which is expected to spend tens of millions of dollars in support of his candidacy.

The Cruz campaign said 95 percent of the donations they received between his announcement on March 23 until the end of the first quarter on March 31 were for $100 or less.

The early roll-out has helped Cruz in the polls. An ABC News/Washington Post survey released Thursday showed the Texas senator climbing into third place in the Republican primary, behind Bush and Walker. Prior to his announcement, Cruz had spent much of the invisible primary period in the second tier of hopefuls. Cruz is framing himself as the leading anti-establishment voice, hoping to draw support from evangelicals and tea party voters who comprise a substantial portion of the Republican electorate.

Over the coming weeks, Cruz will be joined by several other announced candidates. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will launch his bid next Tuesday in Louisville. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a third Republican, will declare his candidacy on April 13 in Miami. Both announcements are likely to shift the spotlight away from Cruz, who has spent the past week barnstorming early primary states and appearing on conservative talk shows.

Democrat Hillary Clinton is also expected to begin her campaign in the coming weeks.