Ted Cruz gets more than $5m in donations despite Cancun scandal

Senator from Texas hauled in more than $5.3 million in 2021 first quarter

Ted Cruz’s Cancun scandal did not hurt his fundraising as the senator from Texas raked in a massive $5.3m in donations.

The former GOP presidential candidate raised $5,317,000 between January and March this year, despite repeatedly hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Mr Cruz also reported having $5.6m cash on hand, according to Fox News.

His office says the haul came from 112,028 donors, including 61,888 first-time contributors to the controversial Republican.

“Senator Cruz is immensely thankful to the hardworking men and women across the country for their generous contributions,” his spokesperson Steve Guest said.

Mr Cruz, who is expected to run for president in 2024, loudly supported Donald Trump’s debunked claims of voter fraud in the wake of the 2020 election.

And he was one of the few Republican senators who even after the fatal 6 January Capitol riots still objected to the certification of Joe Biden’s wins in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

In February Mr Cruz was widely criticised for jetting to Cancun, Mexico, with his family for a vacation while his constituents in Texas were slammed by a historic winter storm.

Millions of Texans were left without power and water and at least 30 died during the devastating storms.

Mr Cruz spent 24 hours in the Mexican resort before flying home alone and when he touched down back in Texas admitted the trip was “obviously a mistake.”

“From the moment I sat on the plane, I began really second-guessing that decision and saying, ‘Look, I know why we’re doing this, but I’ve also got responsibilities,’” he said after arriving home in Houston.

“Leaving when so many Texans were hurting didn’t feel right, and so I changed my return flight and flew back on the first available flight I could take.”

Mr Cruz said the family took the trip at the last minute at the request of his daughters.

“Look, it was obviously a mistake,” he added.

“In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done it. I was trying to be a dad.”