To advance to a runoff in the Texas GOP Senate race, Ted Cruz merely needs to deny David Dewhurst a majority of the GOP vote. It appears that Cruz will do exactly that.
Dewhurst, the current Lieutenant Governor of Texas, is backed by much of the Texas GOP establishment, including Gov. Rick Perry. He also has the support of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe.
Cruz, the former Solicitor General of Texas, is backed by many Tea Party players, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint. He also was endorsed by numerous well-known commentators such as Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Twitchy founder/owner Michelle Malkin.
The third major candidate in the race was Tom Leppert, former Dallas Mayor. He has conceded. A recent Public Policy Polling survey showed that Leppert’s supporters prefer Dewhurst over Cruz by a margin of 77 to 13.
Cruz supporters tweeted congratulations:
Congratulations to @tedcruz for advancing to the run-off in Texas. This is a major victory for conservatives. #txsen
— Jim DeMint (@JimDeMint) May 30, 2012
Dewhurst failed to get a majority because he failed to fight for conservative principles. His false attacks backfired. #txsen
— Jim DeMint (@JimDeMint) May 30, 2012
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I'm pleased @TedCruz has emerged from #TXSen primary & am confident he will win the runoff in July!
— Rick Santorum (@RickSantorum) May 30, 2012
Through Cruz will (apparently) live on to fight another day, he faces an uphill battle:
Message to fellow conservatives: When your guy only gets 30 percent of the primary vote, it's not good
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) May 30, 2012
@bdomenech Oh come on–he's 16 points ahead. 16 points.
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) May 30, 2012
Then again, Richard Mourdock was losing in Indiana one month before he beat Sen. Richard Lugar by about 20 points. Anything is possible:
We're on to the the Primary Runoff! Stand with me in this conservative fight against the establishment. Donate: http://t.co/3l0p4a1x
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 30, 2012
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