Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz pitches 2026 Texas Senate race while steering most donations to his campaign
WASHINGTON – It starts as an urgent warning.
Texas’ primary is speeding closer, Sen. Ted Cruz says, the nation is watching and Republicans need to get off the sidelines to win in 2026.
Later come buttons to make a donation, a familiar step in fundraising emails. The pitch reassures your money will help both Cruz and the future Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Texas, a two-for-one play to counter Democrats.
If you stop to click on a small-type link for additional details, the math appears. With a $100 donation, $1 is dedicated to a new fund for whoever wins the GOP nomination.
The rest, $99, goes to Cruz’s campaign account, unless donors change the allocation.
Cruz’s recent appeal to conservative donors is a staple of modern campaign fundraising emails, with preset donation amounts, flashing buttons and fine print dividing contributions.
The approach is legal and reflects the growing prevalence of aggressive political email appeals that critics say are often manipulative.
Cruz’s effort has stirred questions in Washington, with early donations meant to fully help the nominee largely being steered to Cruz.
Some election law experts called it deceptive, trading on concerns about the Texas Senate race to benefit Cruz, who is not on the 2026 ballot but has been mentioned as a presidential contender in two years.
Attention over campaign money is even sharper this cycle because of the high-profile, high-spending Republican primary among Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston.
“Cruz is basically diverting money away from the Cornyn-Paxton race for his own personal ambition,” said campaign finance lawyer Brett Kappel, a former legal counsel to three presidential campaigns.
Cruz spokesperson Macarena Martinez dismissed that, saying his outreach is aimed at keeping Texas Republican and ensuring a GOP victory in November.
“No Republican in the country has devoted more time and spent more money to elect Republican senators and House members than Sen. Cruz,” she said.
She said any criticism of Cruz’s appeal “conveniently ignores the well-known fact that this standard split is routinely used by both Democrats and Republicans when a campaign pays the cost of a digital solicitation.”
The Cornyn, Paxton and Hunt campaigns declined to comment on Cruz’s fundraising approach.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is seeking reelection to a fifth six-year term. He faces primary challenges from U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Associated Press
GOP cash concerns
Cruz’s pitch doesn’t mention Cornyn, seeking a fifth six-year term, or his two prominent challengers in the March 3 matchup.
It does single out U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, who is competing with state Rep. James Talarico of Austin for the Democratic Senate nomination.
Cruz compares Crockett, known for her confrontational political style, to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a frequent conservative target often referred to by her initials.
“In fact, Jasmine Crockett — the Democrats’ AOC of Texas — has ALREADY crossed the 50% threshold for the Texas Democrat Senate Primary in a new poll just released,” Cruz says in the pitch. ”We desperately need to boost our numbers.”
The Lone Star State is critical, Cruz tells prospective donors, because it is among the earliest in the country and Democrats are fired up.
“The nation will be watching to see if the Democrats CRUSH us in voter turnout like they did in every special election of 2025 – OR if Republicans finally got off the sidelines and came out on top on DAY ONE,” Cruz warns.
His pitch includes a survey asking about voting history, feelings toward the Trump administration and various policy positions.
Its final query is: “Given Texas’ first-in-the-nation primary standing for 2026, will you make a contribution to the NEWLY ESTABLISHED Texas Nominee Fund to fight for victory earlier than ever before?”
Recipients are presented with amounts ranging from $23 to $7,000, which is the combined primary-and-general maximum contribution allowed per election cycle from one individual to a campaign.
For each, Cruz gets 99%, and the eventual Senate nominee gets 1%, unless the donor manually changes the automatic split.
The appeals are legal and Cruz could share donor contact information with the GOP nominee. Early cash is seen as important for advertising and organizing ahead of the general election.
Polling points to a likely May runoff, a prolonged fight that could leave the Republican winner short on funds and give Democrats a head start.
Cruz’s 99-1 split, though not unprecedented among fundraisers, has drawn notice in political circles. Every GOP dollar the national party puts into Texas for the general election is one that isn’t being spent in battleground states.
Other Cruz fundraising pleas have used different breakdowns. In one he sent on behalf of Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican, the default split is 50-50.
Federal Election Commission records show the Texas nominee-to-be-named-later fund was created in mid-December and had collected $190.17 by the end of the year.
Fund scrutiny
Kappel, the campaign finance lawyer, said both parties commonly use such funds to raise general election money during primaries, but called Cruz’s pitch misleading.
”Potential donors will think that they are giving to the currently unknown eventual Republican Senate candidate when, in fact, almost all of the funds will go to Cruz,” he said.
Some of the money Cruz is collecting with his current fundraising appeals could be used for a presidential campaign, subject to other federal fundraising limitations.
Cruz, who ran for president in 2016 and lost the primary to Donald Trump, has not said whether he plans another bid, though some Republicans see him as a possible 2028 contender.
Nancy Bocskor, a former GOP fundraiser and former director of what is now the Center for Women in Government at Texas Woman’s University, said manipulative fundraising pitches have become common.
Bocskor, who now teaches at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, said many donors will be motivated to help Republicans keep the Senate seat in Texas, without realizing 99% of their contribution is going to Cruz and not the 2026 nominee, she said.
She described Cruz’s pitch as legal – and distasteful.
“It’s a lack of transparency that preys upon primarily older donors,” she said.
Common tactics
Supporters of both parties now regularly receive urgent fundraising emails designed to draw in small-dollar donations, a significant part of how political candidates and parties pay for campaign operations and political advertising blitzes.
A Princeton University study analyzing more than 300,000 political emails from Democrats and Republicans during the 2020 election identified subtle ways senders get recipients to open and engage.
“Manipulative tactics – techniques using some level of deception or clickbait – are the norm, not the exception,” researchers found.
Cruz is not the only one to use a model with a default 99-1 split.
An appeal by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., shares proceeds with Cruz but directs 99% to Scott.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has sent appeals that share proceeds with individual candidates, such as Cornyn, with default settings that give 99% to the NRSC.
The committee is supporting Cornyn and money from the joint appeal could be spent on his behalf.
With the primary just weeks away, Texans can expect no letup in fundraising appeals from all sides in a race projected to top $300 million in spending by its end in November.
Fundraising fine print
HOW IT WORKS: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s fundraising appeal highlights the 2026 Senate race on behalf of the eventual GOP nominee but defaults donations so 99% goes to his campaign unless donors click through fine print.
HIGH STAKES: Campaign finance experts say early money that could help the Senate nominee mostly is being diverted to Cruz.
THE PUSHBACK: Critics call the setup deceptive, saying preset amounts, fine print and urgency push quick donations that mask the uneven split.
The Texas A&M Aggies started the season with varying expectations. After a disappointing season last year, this year was a critical chance for the Aggies to once again have another shot at putting it all together.
Earning a top-16 seed and hosting a regional, the Aggies stormed a comeback to take their opening game, leading to their winners bracket matchup against the Texas State Bobcats, who took down the higher-seeded USC Trojans.
Looking to be 2-0 after their second game, head coach Michael Ealrey’s squad found themselves in a close game with the Bobcats. A five-run sixth inning would change the tune of the game, and instead of being a nail-biter, it quickly turned into a blowout.
How One Error Changed Everything
The Aggies were in a close game against the Bobcats, which is a scary place to be against a team that can hit the ball as well as they do. In the fifth inning, Chris Hacopian would get an RBI to give his team a two-run cushion, and he would prove to be the catalyst once again an inning later.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the inning, Hacopian would hit a ground ball to Justin Vossos, the Bobcats’ shortstop. It looked like a routine play, one that would get his team out of the jam, but he would bobble the grounder. Hacopian, to his credit, shot out of a cannon out of the batter’s box and would beat out the play, extending the inning and scoring Terrence Kiel II.
With a three-run lead, the Aggies smelled blood in the water, and they took advantage of the mistake. The next batter, Nico Partida, would be hit by a pitch to score another. Jake Duer would follow that up with a two-RBI single, and Ben Royo would get an infield single of his own to cap off the five-run inning.
From that point on, the Aggies never looked back and would end up winning the game, 17-2, completely breaking the game wide open and dominating their way to a 2-0 start.
What This Means Now For the Undefeated Aggies
The Aggies are the only perfect team in their regional, and have advanced to the regional final for the first time in two years. Because of that, Earley and his squad get the massive advantage of only being tasked with playing one game on Sunday night.
With the Bobcats now heading to the losers’ bracket, they will get a rematch against the Trojans at 3 p.m. CT, with the loser eliminated from postseason play and the winner facing the Aggies at approximately 8 p.m. CT.
Since the Aggies are the only undefeated team left in the bracket, they will get a minimum of two chances to punch their ticket to the super regionals.
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Live Updates – Tennessee Lady Vols vs. Texas Tech Softball (WCWS)
Current Score: Tied 0-0
***Note: If you want the latest updates make sure to refresh the story***
First Inning:
Top: Karlyn Pickens strikes the first batter out. Texas Tech hits a single that went off the glove of Pickens. Jackie Lis comes to the plate. She advances the runner, but she grounds out to short. Pickens gets a massive strikeout to end the inning. Great job by the Lady Vols ace.
Bottom: Tennessee will now come to the plate. Kaitlyn Terry is the pitcher for the Red Raiders. Sophia Knight will start it off. Knight hits an infield single thanks to her speed. Here comes game one’s MVP, Elsa Morrison. Morrison strikes out. Ella Dodge hits a grounder to second, which gets the runner out, but she is safe at first. Emma Clarke hits a line out to Williams at second base to end the inning, as she had to make a vertical effort to bring that one down.
Second Inning:
Top: Here comes former Lady Vol Taylor Pannell. She pops out. Pickens will face the Red Raiders’ pitcher, who also hits. Pickens gets the Lady Vols off the field.
Bottom: Leach lines out to begin the inning. Makenzie Butt pops out to right field, which will be out No. 2. Gabby Leach is out to end the inning for the Lady Vols.
Third Inning:
Top: Quiroga lines out to begin the inning, and Pickens continues to move strongly. Halleman grounded out to second for out No. 2. Williams grounded out to third, which will get the Lady Vols off the field.
Bottom: Bella Faw singles to get on base. Holley grounds out, but Faw advances to second. Knight is struck by a pitch, and there are now two on base for the Lady Vols with only one out this inning. This gives Tennessee two on with a runner in scoring position. Here comes the Red Raiders’ ace, Nija Canady. Morrison fouls out. A wild pitch advances both runners. One at third and one at second now with two outs. Dodge is hit by a pitch, and bases are now loaded for the Lady Vols. Canady forced a full count for Clarke with bases loaded, and Clarke collided with Lis around first base, and the bases were left loaded. Texas Tech escapes.
Fourth Inning:
Top: Pickens forces a groundout. Lis grounds out, and the Lady Vols have put two away quickly. Pickens retires her 11th straight batter after forcing a groundout to second base.
Bottom: Leach reaches to begin the inning. It was via an error. She will be taken out of the game for a pinch runner. Saviya Morgan is on base. Makenzie Butt is up to bat. Canady strikes Butt out. Morgan gets picked off at second base. Gabby Leach hits a single to center field.
Pre Game Information
The Tennessee Lady Vols are set for their next matchup in the softball realm, as this is the second game they will play in the Women’s College World Series. In their first game, they were victorious against the Texas Longhorns, as they defeated the Longhorns by a score of 6-3 in a game in which they were viewed as the underdogs. Now they will have to play another great team with the hopes of continuing to hold on to their advantage of having no losses in a two-loss tournament. After today, only two of the eight teams that advanced and two of the six teams that remain will be able to say that.
The Lady Vols are up first out of the two games today, and they will be playing against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Red Raiders are entering this game with no losses after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their game. The Bulldogs entered the event as the biggest underdog, but the Red Raiders can compete with any of the teams at the event. They had to defeat a Florida Gators team that won a series against the Lady Vols to get to the Women’s College World Series.
This game will be one of the more anticipated games in the whole tournament, as this may not even be the only time that these two match up throughout the World Series. Regardless, the Tennessee Lady Vols will look for another big moment in the biggest game of their season thus far.
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — After spending most of Friday night wasting scoring opportunities, Adrian Lopez and his USC teammates headed into the ninth inning with plenty of confidence. Unfortunately for the Trojans, Texas State wasn’t done yet.
Lopez gave the Trojans the lead in the eighth inning with a home run at Blue Bell Park, but USC couldn’t close out the opener of the NCAA tournament’s College Station Regional.
Texas State’s Chase Mora greeted USC closer Adam Troy with a monstrous two-run home run to left field in the top of ninth, propelling the Bobcats to 5-4 upset before a crowd of 6,956.
“To take the lead right there late, we’re riding high feeling real good and confident going into the ninth,” Lopez said. “I think … the ball fell how it fell. It is what it is. But we’re pretty stoked and excited going into the ninth with the lead.”
Texas State coach Steve Trout mused that it felt as though the Bobcats were “on the ropes” all night. As trite as that might sound, he’s right.
Unfortunately for the Trojans, they never could deliver the knockout punch. Texas State wasn’t as forgiving. Mora was sitting on Troy’s fastball, and he pounced for his 11th home run of the year.
“Sure enough,” Mora said, “I got the pitch I was sitting on and made a good swing.”
Troy’s blown save was a major part of the story. He arguably wasn’t the biggest reason USC lost, though. The Trojans had plenty of chances. They wasted most of them, leaving 13 men on base on a night they struck out 12 times.
Moreover, the Trojans wasted a major bases-loaded scoring opportunity when Isaac Cadena was picked off at second base for the second out of the fifth. Walter Urbon then flew out to right to end the threat.
“We got picked off there at second base with one out,” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz said. “That was kind of a gut shot. We have to be better on the bases. We have to be a little more aware when we get off the bag there.
“I thought we executed fine to get runners where we needed to get them. The second part is we got to get them across home plate. That’s the part we didn’t do as well tonight.”
The Bobcats’ shaky defense spotted USC two unearned runs. The Trojans will surely lament, however, stranding runners in scoring position in each of the first seven innings.
The Trojans will now prepare to face Lamar University, which blew a five-run lead in a 7-5 loss to host Texas A&M earlier Friday.
If Stankiewicz’s Trojans return to the College World Series for the first time since 2001, the 12-time national champions must do it out of the losers’ bracket.
“We’re just going to battle our tails off to keep showing up,” said Abbrie Covarrubias, who gave the Trojans a 3-1 lead with a home run in the fourth inning. “We’re in the fire, so we’re just going to battle our way through and pour our hearts out really.”
USC right-hander Grant Govel, an All-Big Ten First Team selection, settled for a no-decision after giving up three runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts over 5 ⅔ innings.
He was relieved by freshman left-hander Sax Matson with one on and two outs in the top of the sixth. Matson escaped unscathed in the sixth, but he was relieved by right-hander Andrew Johnson with one on and two outs in the seventh.
The Trojans, who reached the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, have lost four of their last five games.
“We left some runners in scoring position,” Stankiewicz said. “I’d like to have those back. But they made some pitches when they needed to.”
Stankiewicz, Adrian Lopez and Covarrubias are adamant that they believe in Troy, who has a team-leading 12 saves this season. No other Trojan has more than three saves.
“He’s been our guy, like coach said,” Lopez said of Troy. “He has a number … of saves. We trust him with everything we have. I wouldn’t want anyone else throwing the last couple pitches of the game. Going tomorrow, everyone’s available. If he’s back in that same situation, I’m just as confident as ever.”
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