SEN: The campaign of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) released a new ad, “Harvey,” highlighting his efforts to bring federal assistance for Hurricane Harvey recovery.
The Cruz campaign also released several ads attacking U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-El Paso) on border issues and drug testing for unemployment benefits.
Since those ads appeared online, the O’Rourke campaign has raised more than $1M, according to a “tracker” link contained in a fundraising email.
Meanwhile, national pundit Charlie Cook has moved the race into the “leans Republican” column from “likely Republican.”
Dark Money: A federal judge has invalided rules that allow a politically active 501(c)4 nonprofit’s donors to remain anonymous. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that current Federal Election Commission regulation of such groups “blatantly undercuts the congressional goal of fully disclosing the sources of money flowing into federal political campaigns and thereby suppresses the benefits intended to accrue from disclosure.” If the ruling stands, 501(c)4 groups that spend at least $250 for independent expenditures in a federal race must disclose every contributor who gave at least $200 during the preceding year, and the FEC is directed to implement rules consistent with the decision within 30 days. The case arose from a 2012 complaint filed against a group tied to Karl Rove that spent $6M in independent expenditures in an Ohio election.
Primary Turnout: Following last week’s primary elections in Tennessee, turnout in Texas fell to 26th out of the 32 states that have held them so far this year. Three of the states coming in behind Texas did not have a statewide race on the ballot. Four more states hold primary elections on Tuesday.
©2018 Texas Election Source LLC
