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Cruz Fundraising for Senate Republicans

Comes despite antagonizing many of his colleagues

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is raising cash for some fellow Republicans who have criticized him in the past. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file)
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is raising cash for some fellow Republicans who have criticized him in the past. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file)

Many Senate Republicans don’t have nice things to say about Texas Sen. Ted Cruz but he is about to help some of them raise money for their campaigns.

Cruz antagonized many of his Senate colleagues by helping to force a government shutdown in 2013. He angered others in July when he refused to endorse GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump after earlier pledging to do so during the Republican primaries.

However, Cruz plans to team up with fellow Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn for fundraisers in Dallas and Houston next month, The Associated Press reported. Also set to attend are Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard M. Burr of North Carolina and Charles E. Grassley of Iowa. Sens. Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania and Rob Portman of Ohio are also expected to benefit from the fundraisers, though they won’t attend. 

[Cruz: I’m Not Trump’s ‘Servile Puppy Dog’]

Ayotte criticized Cruz last year for risking a government shutdown to block federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Similarly, in 2013, Burr called Cruz’s plan to shut down the government if President Barack Obama’s health care law was not defunded “the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”

According to Federal Election Commission records, Cruz has not donated to any of his Republican colleagues this cycle. But his leadership PAC has donated $5,000 to Grassley’s campaign.

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