A guest holds “A Time For Truth” by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during The Family Leadership Summit in Iowa in July 2015.
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) latest book, “Justice Corrupted,” debuted at No. 9 on the New York Times best-seller list for hardcover nonfiction the week ending Oct. 29, before dropping two spots. The rankings indicated that some book sellers reported receiving bulk orders.
Campaign-finance reports covering those weeks have not been filed yet, but there is reason to believe Cruz might have used campaign funds to boost his sales. In the three months after the publication of his last book, “One Vote Away,” another best seller, his campaign reported paying $153,000 to retailer Books-a-Million. Cruz later disclosed earning a $320,000 book advance the year that book was released.
Cruz also used campaign funds to purchase Facebook ads directing fans to retailers to buy “One Vote Away,” a move that led government watchdog Campaign Legal Center to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission. The FEC has said candidates may advertise their books on their campaign’s website, but it does not appear to have ruled if politicians can use donor funds to advertise the book on other websites. Campaign Legal Center has not received a response to its complaint. As of Nov. 7, Cruz’s campaign had not purchased any Facebook ads for “Justice Corrupted.”
Spokespeople for Cruz did not immediately respond to inquiries.
Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign spent $153,000 on books shortly after the release of his “One Vote Away” in September 2020
Federal Election Commission/Ted Cruz for Senate