Posted on 07/31/2012 2:50:22 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Texas' intensely watched Republican U.S. Senate runoff tonight will be a stunner no matter how it turns out.
Political newcomer Ted Cruz could defeat Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a well-known and well-funded GOP officeholder, and provide tea party activists across the country another high-profile victory. An outside poll released late Sunday indicated that Cruz had a solid 10-point lead over Dewhurst.
But Dewhurst, who has the support of Gov. Rick Perry and other top Texas political leaders, could still snatch a victory from the tea party. He has poured $19 million of his own personal fortune into the race, and Dewhurst said Monday that his internal polling shows him leading.
Polls will be open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Statewide, Republican voters also will decide between incumbent David Medina and former District Judge John Devine for a seat on the nine-member Texas Supreme Court. The runoff winner faces no Democratic opponent in November.
Voters in western Travis and Hays counties will have a say in the GOP runoff for congressional District 25 — an open seat sought by Wes Riddle, founder of the Central Texas Tea Party, and Roger Williams, former Texas secretary of state.
District 25, extending to just south of Fort Worth, also includes the Capitol, the University of Texas and much of Northeast Austin.
In a contentious state Senate race, other Central Texas voters will decide between Republicans Jeff Wentworth, a 20-year veteran of the Texas Senate, and tea party candidate Donna Campbell, a doctor.
On the Democratic ballot, former state House member Paul Sadler and retired teacher Grady Yarbrough are vying for the U.S. Senate nomination.
The GOP Senate race has attracted the attention of conservative luminaries who see in Cruz another opportunity to unsettle the GOP establishment in Washington. This past weekend, Cruz bounced from appearances with U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, the godfather of tea party senators, to Sarah Palin to Rick Santorum as he rallied voters across the state.
Some Texas tea party leaders issued a statement Monday aimed at countering Dewhurst campaign statements that the backing of state Sen. Dan Patrick, a tea party stalwart from Houston, indicated that Dewhurst had wide support from tea party voters.
"It is obvious that your recent tea party posturing is just a desperate attempt to trick voters in the closing hours of this election. Though you are right to recognize that the tea party will be the deciding factor in this election, our support is not with you," said the statement, which was signed by about 50 tea party leaders from across the state.
On Monday, Dewhurst started his day with a quick stop at a South Austin Chick-fil-A in solidarity with the restaurant, which has been the subject of criticism from gay marriage supporters because the company's president condemned marriage equality.
"In Texas, we don't try and be politically correct. We want people to have freedom of beliefs, freedom of religion," Dewhurst said, clutching a bag with a chicken sandwich — no pickles.
The Dewhurst campaign also tried to tamp down the sense that Cruz had captured the momentum by releasing details from its latest poll, conducted by GOP pollster Mike Baselice, which showed Dewhurst at 48 percent and Cruz at 44 percent.
"When David Dewhurst wins tomorrow, it will once again be apparent that folks who live inside the Washington Beltway have zero idea what's going on in Texas," a campaign statement said.
The survey poll from Public Policy Polling showed Cruz leading with support from 52 percent of the respondents to Dewhurst's 42 percent. Among tea party voters, Cruz swamped Dewhurst 75-22 percent.
"There has been too much of a tendency to ascribe any Republican primary upset over the last few years to Tea Party voters, but this is one case where it's well justified," the polling firm wrote on its website.
The poll was conducted over the weekend by automated calls to 665 likely Republican runoff voters. The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
"It is obvious that your recent tea party posturing is just a desperate attempt to trick voters in the closing hours of this election. Though you are right to recognize that the tea party will be the deciding factor in this election, our support is not with you," said the statement, which was signed by about 50 tea party leaders from across the state.
Tea Party Express: An Open Letter to David Dewhurst
How are you seeing this outcome up close and personal?
Taken from anoher post supporting the Demorats favorite newspaper in Austin...
Dewhurst publicly affirmed his support for a guest-worker program in 2007. His more recent anti-immigrant rhetoric represents his response to Cruz attacking his conservative credentials – not a surprising shift for an office-seeking candidate. But if Dewhurst is elected to a six-year term and Democrats make significant electoral gains in the nation’s legislative body (likely with the President on the ballot), the Lieutenant Governor’s prior support for immigration reform might re-emerge. In addition, the six-year term will permit Dewhurst to work with President Barack Obama (presuming he wins a second term) on immigration reform, since Dewhurst wouldn’t face re-election until 2018
Now just vote for Cruz and tick em all off.
$19 million Dewhurst. Where did he get that kind of money in public service? He would only spend that kind of money now if he could graft more than that later. He is pretty much a perfect example of what is wrong with the Republican party specifically and politics in general. Plus he is creepier than anyone since Lindsey Graham.
Dewhurst is a great example of why progressive democrats win, and even if a guy like Dewhurst wins, he still caves to the commies and acts like a Rino because they know they can buy him off. America does not need a rino grifter like Dewhurst in the US Senate.
And the latest anti-Cruz commercials have taken a new low - blaming Cruz on the death of a teenager.
$19 million Dewhurst. Where did he get that kind of money in public service?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He found it.... the same place where all “public servants” (politicians) find it; under the table.
Dewhurts is partner in an energy company and Wiki says he’s worth $200 mill.
Still don’t need him as Senator. Cruz more conservative!
Anything from the Austin press is the same as from LA Frisco or NYC...lies and in this case big Texas size lies!
Cruz will win. I don’t think it will be by 10 points or more, but it will be a solid victory (probably by 7-8 percentage points).
“He found it.... the same place where all “public servants” (politicians) find it; under the table.”
...I thought the money was always in the trunk! Oh, wait, that’s where the votes are. My bad.
I liked the mention of the Tea Party Express letter in the article.
I live in Texas.
I voted for Cruz the first day of early voting.
Anything else?
Every vote will be important. We should encourage everyone that can and hasn’t, to get out and vote for Ted Cruz.
And maybe rethink some other “go along with the GOP-e” endorsements made by Dan Patrick.
progressives lie more than any other human... but they lie to themselves even more than they do others... they have to... one has to lie to oneself to be a progressive in the first place.
LLS
I meant do you think Cruz will take it. You’re there and I am hundreds of miles away so I am asking what your feelings are because all I can do is read the articles. It’s not the same as being there, even though I wish I was. Hoping for a Cruz win. Sent as much support as I could. dewhurst is touting internal polls he says has him in the lead. Do you think that is legit?
I think Cruz is going to win. But the good news is, EITHER Cruz OR Dewhurst would be a better (i.e. more conservative) senator than KBH.
And the fact that both candidates are further to the right is another Tea Party effect.
I agree with most of your post.
When a man has 19 million dollars to piss away for a public office he is too damned rich to see my point of view. The point of view of the Middle class.
But I don’t see this as the problem of only Republicans.
I see this as a problem of American politics as a whole.
All we have running our country are rich politicians, most of them lawyers,who know the tricks of legalised theft.. Politicians of both parties are either rich when they first come into politics or find enough graft as office holders to get rich. They certainly do not know or care what Middle Americans need.
They know what the poor need and want,because catering to them is what keeps them in office.
No, there is not anything good about a Dewhurst win.
He is a smarmy, unprincipled full fledged RINO and a win for him would be a chance for the RNC-E to preen and further diss the Tea Party.
—— An outside poll released late Sunday indicated that Cruz had a solid 10-point lead over Dewhurst. ———
Which is at odds with the headline.....
Rather than “close down to the wire”, it would seem a better choice of words would be “ at the wire, Cruz leads by three lengths “
Tea Party stalwart my ass. Dan Patrick finally reveals himself as just another "go along to get along" wannabe mamber of the ruling class. It's always been about acquiring power and status.
just damn ...
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