Tea Party darling Cruz wins Tex. senate primary

Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, center, greets supporters at a voting precinct Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in Houston. / AP Photo

(AP) AUSTIN, Texas - Tea Party darling Ted Cruz convincingly defeated the Republican establishment favorite, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, in Texas' runoff election Tuesday, capturing the GOP nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison as fiercely conservative voters shook one of America's reddest states to its political core.

The race had been closely watched nationally as one of the nation's most-vivid contrasts between the GOP mainstream and grassroots, conservative activists. But as results began to pour in, it turned out to be no contest. Cruz grabbed early leads in key cities around the state where Dewhurst had once enjoyed stronger name recognition, fundraising and political organization just weeks earlier.

Overseeing the state Senate from the powerful lieutenant governor's post since 2003, Dewhurst was long considered a slam dunk in his race with Cruz, the former state solicitor general and son of a Cuban immigrant. Dewhurst had the endorsement of much of Texas' Republican mainstream, including Gov. Rick Perry, who despite his failed run for president was still widely popular back home. He also had a $200 million personal fortune he could dip into at will and did, loaning his Senate campaign at least $24.5 million.

But Cruz has a fiery stage presence that made Tea Party supporters across the state swoon, and received millions from national, conservative organizations which targeted Dewhurst as too moderate. Even though the lieutenant governor oversaw some of the most-conservative state legislative sessions in Texas history and helped speed the passage of laws requiring women to undergo a sonogram before having an abortion and voters to show identification at the polls, he also occasionally compromised with Democratic lawmakers to keep the legislative agenda moving.

Meanwhile, former Democratic state Rep. Paul Saddler easily bested perennial candidate Grady Yarbrough to capture his party's nomination and face Cruz in November's general election, but Cruz begins that race the overwhelming favorite.

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Cruz memorized the U.S. Constitution while in high school and successfully painted his opponent as wishy-washy — even though they actually disagree on little, either politically or ideologically.

The 41-year-old Cruz had never run for political office but bolstered his political credentials arguing in front of the state Supreme Court as the longest-serving solicitor general in Texas history.

Cruz's father Rafael is a pastor outside Dallas. He fought with Fidel Castro's rebels in Cuba before Castro took power and eventually embraced communism, and the elder Cruz fled to the U.S. with nothing but $100 sowed into his underwear.

Texas Republicans aren't used to losing: The state has not elected a Democrat statewide since 1994. But Cruz attacked Dewhurst from the right, and the lieutenant governor's campaign had no real answer.

The state primary was pushed back from Super Tuesday to late May due to a legal fight over redistricting maps drawn by the GOP-dominated Legislature. The 66-year-old Dewhurst beat Cruz by 10 percentage points in the primary but fell about 70,000 votes short of the majority needed for an outright win in a nine-Republican field vying for the party's nomination.

Besides Perry and other state GOP big guns, Dewhurst was endorsed by former baseball great Nolan Ryan. Dewhurst also won the endorsements of former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, who finished third in the Republican primary, and ex-NFL running back and ESPN commentator Craig James, the primary's fourth-place primary finisher.

None of it was enough.

Cruz got millions from national Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations including the Washington-based Club for Growth. He was endorsed by ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, radio talk show host Glen Beck, U.S. Sens. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Kentucky's Rand Paul, as well as former GOP presidential hopeful and Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

At a morning campaign stop in Houston, Cruz said he heard from voters statewide interested in changing what they view as insider-politics in Washington.

"That's the way the democratic process is supposed to work. It's not supposed to be a bunch of guys in a smoky room in Austin picking the next senator," Cruz added.

Just blocks away a few hours later, Dewhurst said, "This is a tough race, but if we remind voters I'm the only true conservative in the race," we can win, Dewhurst said, promising to "turn Washington upside down" if elected.

Natache Reeves, a 42-year-old nurse from the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine, said she voted for Cruz because he had Palin's support and was less likely to restrict handgun use.

"I love Sarah Palin, and she's backing Ted Cruz," Reeves said. "I pretty much agree with everything that rolls out of her mouth."

But Cruz wasn't for everyone. Frank Martinez of Dallas said despite finding Dewhurst's campaign ads "very mean" he couldn't support Cruz, even though they share Cuban roots.

"I think (Dewhurst) has more experience, and he's not a lawyer. So the ad worked," said Martinez, 54, who is unemployed after a workplace accident two years ago left him disabled.

Cruz has drawn comparisons to Indiana, where state Treasurer Richard Mourdock defeated incumbent Sen. Richard Lugar in the Republican primary. But in Texas, the nation's second-most populous state, a win by a Tea Party-backed candidate is likely to resonate even more.

[Lindag20]

What a slimebag this man is. I SAW him on the evening news and that was enough for me. He and his ilk won't be content until they bring the country down. The government can't operate and pay the bills (including the national debt) if people don't pay taxes. Same old Republican mantra magnified. "No new taxes ever". Sure the govenment needs to trim back, but it still has to operate and pay their help.

[ConservativeBret]

Typical 'desperate liberal blather'.
"The government can't operate and pay the bills (including the national debt) if people don't pay taxes."
Nearly $16 trillion in debt and the cry of the liberals "Spend more, print more, faster, faster!" We can't pay off the debt we owe no thanks to Obama and 'failed stimulus spending', and the Obama-Don't-Care, Unaffordable Health-Care legislation, etc. When you have an out of control president who has taken to ruling as a dictator. Example: now ruling almost exclusively by executive fiat. To side step both the United States Constitution and the legislative branches of our government. The people of this country not only have the right to rise up and demand a better government, who is financially conservative and respects our constitution (like the Tea Party is trying to do), it is their duty to do so! Liberals demanding the so-called rich pay more, when 50% of Americans on the other end of economic scale pay diddly & squat. Yet receive it is they that the lion's share of government entitlements. A nation that has half of it's populous living off the labors of the other half, is doomed to financial collapse. Or to put it as Prime Minister Thatcher stated, "The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money." As Ronald Reagan said, "Bigger government isn't the cure to the problem it is the problem." and "I believe the best social program is a job." Don't forget the fact that throwing taxpayer money at job creation is doomed to fail. When that money is gone so are the jobs. Jobs must be created in the public sector. And in order for the private sector to do just that, government, over taxation and over regulation must be gotten out of the way. That being said, I am a Tea Party supporter. One who is sick and tired of watching Obama tear the constitution in half, blow his nose in one half and wipe his behind with the other. I'm fired up about November, "sic semper tyrannis"!

[TimeToEvolve]

Since they Tea Bagging Bozos represent the very richest Americans, what do they care how much debt there is? The people who are making billions from failed Tea Bag policies of "free market" don't even pay what we pay to support our country.

[ParadoxisOK]

I live in Texas. KRove created this monster back in 1994...he stealthily worked to gain control of the Railroad Commission, the Texas Supreme Court and most if not all of the lower court judge positions as well as taking control of both Texas houses of the Legislature for the Republican right. He said back then that what he and his cronies, GWBush was one of them, was a Republican Fascist corporate state that would last for 25 or more years. With gerrymandering and other political gimmicks, he has succeeded and the crowning achievement, if one could call it that was getting this Cruz fascist one step away from the US Senate! Tea Party is just another name for corporate fascist and dictatorship of the few monied interest over the majority. They've succeeded in Texas, which is looking more and more like Franco's Spain!

The Democratic Party in Texas can't come back unless they can get the majority of people to vote! But with the new voter ID laws, read JIM CROW, that will be a hard nut to crack!

So, the joke is on all of the people in Texas and when and if...he is elected to the Senate, I'm sure he will make a big ass of himself! He will be an known as a bigger joke than that other Tea Party fool in the Senate, Bachman!

Yes, it can get worse folks!

[TimeToEvolve]

I take it back, there is someone in Texas that has some good sense and education. So you're the one!

[hamiltongrad]

Tea Party "darling " Snarky ?

[Lindag20]

The man Cruz defeated was widely seen as quite conservative, but was portrayed as "too moderate". Cruz will be another extreme right winger that believes compromise and working with others is somehow WRONG. Since Texas is such a heavily RED state he will be elected and will become part of the gridlock that exists in Washington now because of the attitude of NEVER compromising.

[TimeToEvolve]

Haven't these people yet figured out that the Tea "Party" is a front group for some billionaires? Those guys are laughing all the way to the offshore banks as people vote to gut their own economy to turn all their money over to the rich. Last person with a brain out of TexAss turn off the lights.

[drf_1]

More liberal loonies without a clue.The Tea party is a movement not an organized party. There are thousands of Tea party groups but there is no organized leadership. Tea partiers know that sooner or later the books must balance. All liberals and most repubs keep spending more than we have. The Tea party groups simply want to replace them with people who won't spend more than we have. Sorry if I can't dumb it down enough for a liberal to understand.

[nottblu]

The creation of the tea-party was a direct response to runaway government spending, big government, and leftwing extremism run rampant. In other words, if not for the partisan leftists like those that frequent this site there would be no tea-party, once again you leftwing extremists can thank yoursleves for the creation of the tea-party.

[jnostromo]

The Koch empire controls the strings...Extremism works both ways..The left is now equally matched by the tea bags extremism..and the sensible are in the middle...

[Kieren1]

C'mon it's Texas ... of course Tea Party darlings get elected in Texas ... look who's been elected in Texas and you get the idea ...

[hypnotoad72]

nomealaska -

I wouldn't call their existence "moronic"... they might be duped, but some of the causes they stand for are laudable...

[Everybodhi]

Their education system is working exactly as they intend. What can one expect? Garbage in, garbage out.

[Floridano]

When AP writers say someone "sowed" money into his underwear like so many seeds, instead of 'sewn' as it should be, I despair for the future of journalism.

[hypnotoad72]

Well, there's no money in it and "'good enough' is good enough", so why would people care?

[wfw3536]

The Tea Party put the unions and Dems to shame in Wisconsin with Walker winning by 7%, more than the margin of his first win. The fact that they won against an insider/typical politican who did not believe in smaller government should be a wake up call for Obama.

[audemus]

Walker is a bought and paid for politician....his re-election was financed not by the citizens of Wisconsin, but by interests outside the state, at the tune of about 30 bucks per vote. Anyone with an objective brain knows it.

[EricB_727]

if you believe in elections being bought buy outside interests vote TEA party