Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz has beaten establishment candidate David Dewhurst in the Texas Senate primary runoff election, in what is being called an major upset.
Cruz, an emerging conservative star whose father emigrated to the United States from Cuba, has drawn comparisons to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and has been lauded by national conservative political pundits and groups for over a year. His victory is a major blow to the Republican establishment in Texas, which lined up squarely behind Dewhurst. It’s also a victory for the tea party and national conservatives who lined up behind Cruz even when a surprise win appeared unlikely.
More at The Hill and New York Times.
Via The Hill:
Cruz is considered a lock in the general election: The state leans heavily to the GOP and Democrats failed to recruit a serious candidate for the seat.
He congratulated Dewhurst for a hard-fought race and thanked him for his public service.
"In the heat of the campaign there have been harsh words spoken but I am hopeful that all of us can work together and put them behind us going forward," he said, and told a raucous crowd that Dewhurst had promised to back him in the general election. Dewhurst had refused to say whether he would in a conversation with The Hill last week.
Cruz then name-checked conservative economist Milton Friedman, whose 100th birthday would have been Tuesday, before warning of the country's rising deficit.
"Our crushing debt threatens our future. Every generation of Americans has given to their kids and grandkids a brighter future and brighter economic prosperity, and our generation will be no different. That is why we are rising up to take our country, to preserve liberty, to restore the Constitution," he said as the crowd exploded.
Others discussing this: Weekly Standard, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Outside the Beltway, Crime and Consequences Blog, Hit & Run and The Volokh Conspiracy
