‘ZodiacPAC’ uses viral meme to oppose Cruz

A new political action committee opposing Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is taking advantage of the viral meme alleging that the senator is the Zodiac Killer, who has never been identified.

The founders of “ZodiacPAC” say they’re creating the group to oppose Cruz and other conservative politicians in Texas who they say don’t represent their values. The PAC filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Monday, according to an FEC filing.

The group admits that it doesn’t actually believe that Cruz is the Zodiac Killer — who murdered at least five people in Northern California in the late 1960s — but that the meme is an opportunity for them to highlight Cruz’s qualities and stances.

“The zodiac meme is like a political cartoon for the digital age,” the PAC’s website reads. “It’s outlandish, but it highlights Ted Cruz’s fundamental meanness — someone who cares more about his own ambition and fame than the people of Texas.”

{mosads}“Many of the most conservative and senior leaders in Congress come from our great state; the November 2018 election is an important opportunity to challenge conservative Republicans’ support for Donald Trump’s racist, sexist, elitist agenda,” the website continues. “In this exhausting political climate, we’re keeping the pressure on Ted and his cronies.” 

The website also features a series of quotes from politicians who have spoken out against Cruz, including former President George W. Bush’s line, “I just don’t like the guy.”

A University of Texas, Austin, poll last month found that 45 percent of Texans had an unfavorable opinion of Cruz.

The committee has raised more than $2,000 over the past four weeks through a crowdfunding page.

Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat who is challenging Cruz next year, has himself raised more than $1 million online in his bid for the Senate seat.

The meme claiming Cruz is the infamous Zodiac Killer went viral during Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign. His wife, Heidi Cruz, denied last year that her husband was the serial killer, dismissing the jokes as “a lot of garbage.”