Donald Trump Jr. emerges as GOP fundraising force

Donald Trump Jr., President Trump’s eldest son, has emerged as a fundraising force for Republican candidates ahead of the midterm election, helping Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) alone raise nearly half a million dollars last week, according to Bloomberg.

He has also held events in North Carolina and Georgia and helped Ohio gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, Bloomberg reported.

{mosads}Altogether, Trump Jr. has raised more than $1 million for GOP candidates around the country, including congressional candidates Danny Tarkanian in Nevada and Mark Harris in North Carolina, according to the report.

Trump Jr. is expected to spend a significant portion of his time before Nov. 6 stumping and raising money for candidates. His girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News anchor, has joined him at many events.

Trump Jr. plans to host a fundraiser for vulnerable incumbent Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) Thursday in Frisco, Texas, where tickets are priced as high as $10,000. Guilfoyle will co-host the event.

An outspoken defender of his father’s administration, Trump Jr. has courted controversy at times and made headlines last month when a tavern in Bozeman, Mont., where he was supposed to host a rally for Senate candidate Matt Rosendale, declined to participate in the event.

Speaking at a rally for Cruz in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Oct. 3, Trump Jr. touted his father’s economic record and assailed former President Obama for claiming credit.

“The economy is so good that Barack Obama is claiming it as his own now,” he said. “Of course it’s ridiculous. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard in both economics and politics, and that’s a long list of dumb things.”