U.S. Republican presidential candidate Cruz raised $12.2 million in third quarter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz raised $12.2 million in the third quarter, his campaign said on Thursday. The Texas senator has raised a total of $26.5 million since entering the race in late March for the 2016 Republican nomination, the Cruz campaign said in a statement. Cruz's total for the three months ended Sept. 30 was more than double that of Florida Senator Marco Rubio, another contender in the crowded Republican field. Rubio's campaign raised $6 million in the third quarter, a source said earlier on Thursday, citing campaign officials. Cruz became the first major figure to officially throw his hat into the ring for the 2016 presidential race when he announced his candidacy in late March with an explicit appeal to Christian conservatives. Cruz currently ranks sixth among the 15 Republicans seeking their party's nomination for the November 2016 presidential election, according to a Real Clear Politics average of opinion polls. (Reporting by Peter Cooney; Editing by Eric Beech and Ken Wills)