Paul Wins, Upset Brewing In TX 23?

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) handily defeated his Republican rival, Friendswood City Councilman Chris Peden, in tonight’s primary and will be heading back to Congress for another term.

With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Paul leads Peden by a 70 percent to 30 percent margin.

Paul had drawn fire from conservatives in the district for his strident opposition to the Iraq war during his long-shot presidential bid. But Peden ultimately wasn’t able to raise enough money and organize effectively to end up mounting a serious enough challenge.

In another contested Republican primary in Texas, Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larson is headed to an upset victory over self-funded attorney Quico Canseco despite being outspent by a significant margin.

Larson leads Canseco by a 63 percent to 37 percent margin with 53 percent of the vote reporting. The GOP winner faces freshman Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas), who is one of the top Republican targets for the fall.