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Good news!

The Tea Party Express was there for days helping Cruz win this:

Tea Party Celebrates Cruz's Historic Victory!
We did it, we did it, we did it!
Tea Party Express, the nation’s largest tea party political action committee, congratulates Ted Cruz on his upset victory tonight and thanks all of its supporters!
Tea Party candidate Ted Cruz pulls off a historic victory!
Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer said, “We could not be more proud of this historic tea party victory tonight against the Texas establishment. This is probably the most significant upset Texas has seen since Perry defeated Hightower in 1990, and it comes at the hands of the tea party.

“What we saw in Ted Cruz and this Senate race was threefold: we saw an unquestionably strong and bold tea party conservative in Cruz; we saw Dewhurst as the anointed Austin politician that was exactly what we have been working to rid Washington of; and finally we saw the passion in the Texas tea party activists that could set the stage for this historic victory.

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The excitement is palpable tonight inside the Cruz victory party

“The false narrative continues to be written that the tea party is dead, and 2012 will not be like 2010. However, every month we see a strong example to the contrary. In May, Tea Party Express-endorsed Richard Mourdock beat 36-year incumbent Senator Dick Lugar. In June, Tea Party Express-supported Governor Scott Walker defeated a national union-led campaign to recall him. Now, in July, we have witnessed a monumental accomplishment with Ted Cruz securing the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Texas.

“Tonight we sent a message that should shake Obama’s Chicago headquarters: Texas not only is going to be staying a red state, but the tea party is alive and ready to own 2012,” Kremer concluded.

Don't forget that TEA Party backed candidates also upset GOP establishment candidates in Nebraska and Pennsylvania.

The April primary in Pennsylvania was especially interesting as TEA Party factions were backing different candidates in the crowded GOP field. Still, the TEA Party candidates finished #1 and #2. The GOP establishment candidate finished third.

I doubt that even many Texans fully realize just what happened here this election cycle.

Besides the stuff you know about there is this:

It was also a very bad night for squishy Republicans, like House Speaker Joe Straus. And a downright miserable one for Mr. Straus’ own state senator, the newly-defeated Jeff Wentworth.

The Texas Legislature has been vastly improved with this primary election cycle, and last night only cemented conservative gains. Of the state legislative races, the biggest run-off news was conservative-champion Dr. Donna Campbell defeating liberal incumbent Jeff Wentworth by a two-to-one margin.

One quick lesson for Republicans in the Texas House: the closer they stand to Speaker Straus and his henchmen – like State Reps. Charlie Geren and Jim Keffer – the more likely they are to lose.

Two more Straus committee chairmen (Sid Miller and Chuck Hopson) lost re-election, joining the three Straus chairs who lost in the first round of primary voting.

In the open-seats, Straus-friendly candidates fell like flies.

A bit of explanation is in order here I think.

Two sessions ago the Texas House of Representatives was a closely divided body with 76 Rs and 74 Ds. The speaker of that body, a staunch conservative though somewhat heavy handed in his leadership style man named Tom Craddick was ousted when a number of supposed Rs conspired with the minority Ds to elect a RINO named Joe Straus as speaker and thus the house has since labored under the leadership of a speaker elected largely by the minority party there.

EVERY ONE of the Rs who were a party to that have now had their hats handed to them by the voters in their districts!