The cavalry of outside groups attacking Ted Cruz has grown yet again.
A nonprofit group in Iowa run by Nick Ryan, a prominent GOP operative, is preparing a $200,000 campaign hitting Cruz in the Hawkeye State, the organization said Tuesday. The Iowa Progress Project, which will begin its television and radio campaign on Wednesday, is at least the fourth outside spending organization — that is, a group not run by a presidential candidate’s campaign — taking shots at Cruz, who is surging in Iowa polls and leading many of them.
Outside groups have begun targeting the Texas senator en masse ever since he started to rise over the fall. The leading foes of Cruz in Iowa have been America’s Renewable Future, a pro-ethanol group that has hit Cruz aggressively for being out of step with the industry, and American Encore, a nonprofit run by Sean Noble, a Marco Rubio supporter and former Koch Brothers operative.
Ryan also runs the main super PAC backing 2008 Iowa winner and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Pursuing America’s Greatness, which has begun spending tens of thousands of dollars to attack Cruz in Iowa as well, according to federal election records.
Iowa Progress Project’s plans were first reported by Politico.
