Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Breitbart.com are both bankrolled, in part, by the same New York hedge fund manager, raising the specter that the abundance of favorable publicity Cruz receives from the right-leaning political website is no coincidence, according to
Politico.
"From reader polls and the conservative website’s near cheerleading coverage of the Texas Senator, to donor connections behind the scenes, Cruz likely has the Republican presidential field’s deepest relationship with the machine — a relationship he’s seeking to parlay into more energized grassroots support," according to Politico.
Breitbart editor-in-chief Alex Marlow said the site appeals to grassroots conservatives, but pointed out that it has also published stories critical of the senator.
In April,
The New York Times reported that Wall Street hedge fund magnate Robert Mercer was believed to be the main donor behind a network of four pro-Cruz super PACs that reportedly raised $31 million just weeks into his campaign.
Mercer, according to Politico, also funds Breitbart, whose 18.7 million unique users per month "can be an important starting ground for driving the conversation on the right."
Conservative campaign finance operatives told Politico that Mercer and Steve Bannon, Breitbart’s executive chairman, have worked together on political projects, including Mercer’s political data company, Cambridge Analytica, which is also working with Cruz’s campaign.
The Cruz campaign invited a Breitbart reporter to document the senator and his family the night before Cruz’s March announcement that he would seek the presidency, according to Politico, which notes that Breitbart teased the story as an "exclusive with photos of the 'potential first family' as they got ready for bed."
When queried about their connection to Mercer, Breitbart editors reportedly declined to comment, telling Politico that they are a private company and do not comment on investors or backers.
Cruz’s tangles with, and disdain for, the mainstream media are widely known and well-documented.
The Daily Caller reports that in his new biography,
"A Time for Truth," Cruz accuses the GOP establishment leadership of placing "hit pieces with journalists only too happy to cooperate."
Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler told Politico that Breitbart's "center-right" coverage provides a good counterbalance to the "center-left" bias in the mainstream media.
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