• Politics

Cruz Supporters Launch 2016 Super PAC

2 minute read

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is getting a new super PAC dedicated to helping the Tea Party favorite win the presidency in 2016.

Draft Ted Cruz For President launched its website Wednesday, citing a goal of collecting one million signatures this year to “lay the groundwork for the kind of grassroots army of volunteers, donors, and early-primary voters that is needed to win in 2016.”

The super PAC, which can raise unlimited sums to bolster a possible presidential bid by the Lone Star State Republican, filed organizing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission in January. Its treasurer, Paul Kilgore, is a former aide to Newt Gingrich who also served as treasurer for a super PAC supporting Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential bid. The new group devoted to boosting Cruz has not yet filed any financial disclosures.

The effort was announced on the conservative website Redstate.com by Raz Shafer, a regional director for Cruz based in Texas. “I’ve never spoken to Ted about him running for president and I honestly don’t know if he will do it,” Shafer writes, “but I do know he won’t succeed unless freedom-loving Americans like you and me begin organizing this effort now.”

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Write to Alex Altman at alex_altman@timemagazine.com