Report: Ted Cruz Mailer Claims ‘Check Enclosed,’ Then Asks For Donation

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a campaign stop Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, in Hollis, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) campaign has sent out a mailer that says on the envelope that there is a “check enclosed,” but the document inside asks for a donation with a fake check made out to the Cruz campaign, the Huffington Post reported on Sunday.

The return address on the envelope says it came from “U.S. Senator Ted Cruz” in a font that looks official. Below his name on the envelope in smaller text, the envelope reads, “Personal business” and “Not printed or mailed at taxpayer expense.”

The mailer includes a fake check made out to “Cruz for President,” and a letter says that a “group of generous supporters” will match any contribution made to the campaign.

“Your contribution of $45 to ‘Cruz for President’ — as long as you respond quickly — will be immediately matched for double the impact …” the letter reads. “… resulting in a $90 contribution to support my campaign for President of the United States.”

“A group of generous supporters recently joined up with our campaign, but instead of just donating money, they want to challenge other conservatives like you all over America to join our grassroots team as well,” Cruz’s campaign says in the letter.

The Huffington Post published images of the mailer received by a New Jersey resident. Individuals in numerous other states then told the Huffington Post that they also received the mailer.

The mailer also tells recipients that “Washington Republicans” are using super PACs to try to defeat Cruz’s presidential campaign as the primaries get going.

“So now is the time for conservatives to come together. If we unite behind one candidate, we will outnumber the ‘moderates’ (they are really liberals on the issues) and win,” the letter reads.

Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier told the Huffington Post that the campaign mailer “clearly indicates that the contribution is going to the Cruz for President campaign,” and she added that campaigns often use promises that a donor will match a contribution as a fundraising technique.

These mailers follow ones sent to Iowa voters ahead of the caucuses, which the Iowa secretary of state said “misrepresents Iowa election law.” The mailers warned voters of a “voter violation” and gave Iowa voters poor voting “grades,” urging them to head to the caucuses.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. A friend of mine put Polish currency in his. I think it was worth 50 cents American.

  2. The creative lows to which Cruz and his crew will stoop can only be fully appreciated by someone so similarly unencumbered by morals or conscience. Performance art in the theater of the political absurd, Cruz seems to possess an almost unlimited supply of new ways to insult whatever shreds of dignity are left within in the GOP.

  3. Avatar for enon enon says:

    damn, he’s using all the sleaze tactics – and this is just for the primaries. imagine what he’d do in a national campaign for president.
    also interesting is the $45 is the lowest amount cited (although there’s a blank for presumably lower donations). that’s a pretty significant number for a suggested donation.
    this guy is pure scum…

  4. Wow, he’s just checking off every single one of the shithead tricks on the list, isn’t he?

  5. I have every confidence they will trick some supporter into believing it is worth $500–and then claim they got the exchange rate from CNN when they are caught out in their fraud.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

73 more replies

Participants

Avatar for doremus_jessup Avatar for alliebean Avatar for deuce Avatar for mondfledermaus Avatar for ronik Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for avattoir Avatar for enon Avatar for inlabsitrust Avatar for fourlegsgood Avatar for jimheartney Avatar for frankly_my_dear Avatar for arc_of_the_universe Avatar for geofu54 Avatar for addicted4444 Avatar for captaincommonsense Avatar for khaaannn Avatar for thomasmatthew Avatar for dnl Avatar for darrtown Avatar for benthere Avatar for emilianoelmexicano Avatar for cpl593h Avatar for dommyluc

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: