Cruz campaign defends mailer resembling official summons

Sen. Ted Cruz's reelection campaign on Tuesday defended a mailer labeled as "Official Travis County Summons" that was soliciting campaign contributions. The Texas Republican's campaign had faced criticism for the mailer after it was shared on social media.

Sean Owen, a resident of Austin, Texas, tweeted, "Received this for my 88-year-old grandma. Says it's a summons from Travis County, but is actually asking for money for @tedcruz . Did your campaign authorize this? Is this even legal? Shame on you. That's one more @BetoORourke voter."

But the Cruz campaign denied in a statement that the mailer was misleading to voters.

"Out of millions of fundraising mailers targeting people who give to Republicans -- clearly labeled on the front with 'Ted Cruz for Senate' -- there were a few complaints that came not to us but through the local media or twitter," a campaign spokesperson said. "Our mail efforts have been both effective and critical to identifying and engaging our supporters, and getting them involved in our campaign efforts to keep Texas strong."

Brendan Fischer, the federal reform program director with the Campaign Legal Center, told CNN that while the mailer likely didn't violate federal law, it was "misleading."

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