Thread: Ted Cruz, Tea Party Dominate Texas Republican Primary Politics

Mark Levin

Tea Party kicking butt in the largest Republican state



Ted Cruz, Tea Party Dominate Texas Republican Primary Politics

HOUSTON, Texas—The clear winner in the 2014 Republican Primary and runoff...
breitbart.com

Ted Cruz, Tea Party Dominate Texas Republican Primary Politics

by Bob Price 27 May 2014 168 post a comment

HOUSTON, Texas—The clear winner in the 2014 Republican Primary and runoff election is the grassroots effort spawned by the Tea Party, no matter what candidates win. Every candidate on the ballot has shaped their campaign around illustrating their support of the Tea Party principles of limited government, reducing taxes and fiscal responsibility.

The other big winner in this Primary election is Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). His election in 2012 ignited Tea Party activists across Texas who have worked for the past two years to find viable candidates and support them through this long election process. Nearly every candidate on the ballot has tried to find some way of connecting themselves to Ted Cruz and the Tea Party movement by using quotes from or pictures with the prominent junior senator from Texas.
The Dallas Morning News reported, “In virtually every Republican matchup, candidates have espoused the movement’s talking points, attended groups’ forums, and adopted their issues.” The Houston Chronicle also picked up this theme and reported, “Though the tea party has sputtered this year in elections around the country, Texas' conservative insurgents are the front-runners in Republican primary runoffs for major statewide offices and positioned to bolster their ranks in the Legislature.”
In the race to be the next Lt. Governor of Texas, both the incumbent, David Dewhurst and his challenger, State Senator Dan Patrick, have claimed Tea Party support in their speeches and advertisements. Both candidates have also succeeded in gaining support from the various grassroots groups across Texas.
The same is true in the race to succeed Greg Abbott as the next Attorney General of Texas. State Senator Ken Paxton has been a clear leader in the Tea Party movement since its inception in 2009 while his opponent, former AFL-CIO union group lobbyist and State Representative Dan Branch has struggled to attempt to show Tea Party support.
Reuters reports, “Republican politics in Texas has become a race to the right," Republican strategist Bill Miller said. "I do think the Republican Party could be eclipsed by the Tea Party here."
State Senate District 10 candidate Konni Burton has leveraged her Tea Party relationships to place herself in a strong position for victory in this election. The Tea Party News Network reported, “The other race within the state that signals the strength of the Tea Party in Texas is the race to fill the state senate seat formerly occupied by Wendy Davis, currently the Democrat gubernatorial nominee. Konni Burton, a Republican and Tea Party leader from Fort Worth, has been endorsed by Ted Cruz in the race for that vacated seat.”
The exception to the potential Tea Party Texas takeover may be the race for the Congressional seat that has been held by Ralph Hall for thirty-six years. According to a report by Reuters, “Congressman Ralph Hall, a 91-year-old lawmaker running for an 18th term, is favored over his Tea Party-backed challenger, John Ratcliffe, a former U.S. Attorney.” Reuters stated Ratcliffe, age 48, has attempted to use Hall’s age against him. Much like Ronald Reagan who refused to use his opponent’s youth and inexperience against him, Hall has joked about his wrinkles he earned from battling liberal policies.“ Hall said, "By gosh, I've got room for a few more wrinkles."
The full extent of the Texas takeover by Tea Party politics may become clear quickly after the polls close at 7 p.m. (CDT). Breitbart Texas will provide extensive coverage and analysis of election results as they become available.

Follow Bob Price on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-T...blican-Primary

The Tea Party Flexes Its Muscle with Massive Blowouts in Texas

May 28, 2014 By Jennifer Burke


The Tea Party movement in Texas has a message they are sending loud and clear to establishment Republicans and Democrats alike.

The Tea Party is not only alive and well in Texas, it is thriving.
After a brutal primary race that reeked of desperation at times from the David Dewhurst camp, State Senator Dan Patrick thrashed Dewhurst, unseating the current three-term Lieutenant Governor of the Lone Star State in the Run-Off Election. Following a Primary Election in which he finished a distant second, Dewhurst resorted to antics that backfired on him in a big way.
In the 1980’s, Dan Patrick was hospitalized for depression. He credits his faith in God and his family with helping him get through that difficult time and curing him from an illness that plagues many Americans. The Dewhurst campaign, however, attempted to use that dark time in Patrick’s life to discredit him in an attempt to instill doubt about his ability to serve as Governor. It didn’t work.
Perhaps associating that low move by the Dewhurst campaign as indicative of much of what is wrong with politics today, Patrick supporters rallied around him. This led to a resounding defeat of the sitting Lieutenant Governor by Dan Patrick. With 95% of the precincts reporting, Dan Patrick was long ago declared the winner by a tally of 65% to 35%. He led Dewhurst the entire night.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Dewhurst’s defeat not only marks the probable end of his political career in Texas, but also marks the first time a statewide officeholder has lost their party’s Primary or Runoff in years. This despite the fact that Dewhurst spent $5 million of his own money in an attempt to hold onto his office for a fourth term.
Patrick, who rose to prominence as a Tea Party leader and local conservative talk radio host, started the state’s Tea Party caucus in the Texas Legislature as a State Senator. He is not alone in bringing the Tea Party a great victory during the Run-Off Election. A Ted Cruz endorsed candidate won the GOP Run-Off Election for Texas Senate Seat 10, the seat formerly occupied by Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Wendy Davis.
Konni Burton, Vice-President of the NE Tarrant Tea Party, easily defeated her opponent Mark Shelton 60% – 40%. Konni was also on the advisory committee to the Texas Tea Party Caucus formed by Patrick. According to her website, she decided to run for the Texas Senate “to help Texas families combat government excess and have the freedom to achieve their own goals.”

In the Attorney General race, State Senator Ken Paxton, who had strong support from Tea Party groups in Texas, also soundly defeated his GOP opponent Dan Branch 64% to 36%. Paxton, who also enjoyed the support of Senator Ted Cruz, was vice-chair of the Texas Tea Party Caucus.
Speaking to the Houston Chronicle about his win, Dan Patrick said, “”This election means we’re going into November with a very strong ticket with candidates elected by the most conservative voter base in the nation and a team that can articulate the issues the way Texans want them to be. We’re going to sweep the ticket in November. This was a change election. Voters wanted a strong conservative policy in this state, and they’ve chosen bold conservative leaders to keep Texas moving ahead.”

http://www.tpnn.com/2014/05/28/the-t...outs-in-texas/

Mark Levin

I've heard nothing of this from the DC crowd




Dem Pollster Schoen on GOP Runoffs: 'Tea Party Ain't Dead'
Huge victories by tea party-backed Republicans in the top two runoff contests in Texas on Tuesday proved that "the tea party ain't dead," Democratic pollster and analyst Doug Schoen told Newsmax.
Newsmax

Dem Pollster Schoen on GOP Runoffs: 'Tea Party Ain't Dead'

Tuesday, 27 May 2014 11:39 PM
By Todd Beamon

Huge victories by tea party-backed Republicans in the top two runoff contests in Texas on Tuesday proved that "the tea party ain't dead," Democratic pollster and analyst Doug Schoen told Newsmax.

"This is a clear, unambiguous sign that activist conservatives in the Republican Party have a strong position that is not going away," Schoen said. "This is a very clear sign that reports of the demise of the tea party are grossly exaggerated.

"These are blowout landslides — and the Republican establishment needs to take heed."

Julie Turner, president of the Texas Patriots PAC, told Newsmax: "We're just delighted with tonight's results. It was huge tea party win."

Tea party-backed Republicans won the Lone Star State's top two races on Tuesday.

Two-term state Sen. Dan Patrick trounced incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst — denying him a fourth term — while state Sen. Ken Paxton defeated state Rep. Dan Branch in the attorney general's contest.

With 60 percent of the vote counted, Patrick had 65 percent to Dewhurst's 35 percent. Paxton received 64 percent of the vote to Branch's 36 percent.

The win by Patrick, who will face Democratic state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte in November, ended one of the most acrimonious nominating contests in recent Texas history. Accusations grew nastier by the day heading into Tuesday's runoff.

He finished the March primary with 41 percent of the vote versus Dewhurst's 28 percent.

In the fall, Paxton will challenge Democratic lawyer Sam Houston for the seat vacated by Republican gubernatorial nominee Greg Abbott.

"What you see is the messaging from two strong conservatives, with strong voting records over a number of years," said Turner, whose PAC supported both Patrick and Paxton. "They didn't come to their philosophies or values last night."

Based just outside Houston, the Texas Patriots gained visibility in November 2011 when they hosted a debate between Republican presidential candidates Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich. The debate was conducted Lincoln-Douglas-style.

The group also supported Sen. Ted Cruz, who bested Dewhurst in a 2012 Senate race.

"They have held these values, and they are able to articulate their values to the majority of Texans," Turner told Newsmax. "That's what makes a good candidate."

The lieutenant governor's race was particularly rancorous. Dewhurst, 68, struggled throughout to gain ground on Patrick, 64, the Houston conservative radio talk-radio host and founder of the Texas Legislature's tea party caucus.

Patrick had criticized Dewhurst, who presided over the state Senate, for not preventing Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis' filibuster of a 2013 measure to restrict abortion, which drew national attention and launched her gubernatorial run.

The campaign got another jolt when Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who finished fourth in the March primary, endorsed Dewhurst and leaked hundreds of pages of Patrick's psychiatric records from the 1980s.

The records indicated Patrick had a history of depression and suicidal tendencies, but he said he had fully recovered and was fit to serve. Dewhurst had denounced the release of the records.

Patrick's crushing defeat effectively ended the political career of Dewhurst, who spent $5 million of his money in the race. The Houston businessman put up $20 million in his losing bid against Cruz.

"Some of the accusations leveled at Sen. Patrick were laughable," Turner told Newsmax. "Lt. Gov. Dewhurst has now lost statewide several times, and that campaign just became desperate."

She doubted whether any of the personal issues underscored during the runoff would sway voters come November.

"The acrimony was between the campaigns — not among Texans and not among Republicans," Turner said.

"Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton have to now communicate with additional voters — and that core conservative message about choice, less government, less regulation, more freedom, that's going to resonate with the other side of the ticket as well."

Schoen was even more realistic looking to the fall elections.

"Democrats haven't won a statewide election in Texas in I don't know how long," he told Newsmax. "I would think that the Republicans, particularly with Abbott at the head of the ticket, would be strong favorites in every race."

Related Stories:

• Tea Party Appears Poised for Big Victories in Texas Run-offs
  
• Lone Star State Launches Vital 2014 Primary Season

© 2014 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Dou.../27/id/573636/

Tea Party Challenger Surprises; Ousts Oldest Member Of Congress; A Sign Of What’s To Come?

By Steve Straub On May 28, 2014 · 126 Comments · In Politics, Video


It appears that stories of the Tea Party’s demise may have been premature!

Via Fox News:

The oldest-ever member of the House of Representatives has been ousted at age 91, after a primary runoff against a little-known Republican challenger in Texas.
Rep. Ralph Hall on Tuesday also became the first congressional incumbent to lose a primary this year. He had told voters if he had been elected to an 18th term, it would be his last.
Hall was defeated by John Ratcliffe, a 48-year-old former U.S. attorney who used modern analytics to better target would-be voters. He also has won the support of powerful national conservative groups with strong Tea Party ties, including the Club for Growth and Senate Conservatives Fund.
Hall, who hails from Rockwell east of Dallas, relied on a more-traditional campaign, using direct mailings and walking the district, interacting with voters and handing out pennies fitted with bands bearing his name.

Watch this NBC report:

Video at the Page Link:

Do you think 34 years is too long for a member of Congress? Would term limits result in better government?


http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/p...-whats-to-come

Tea Party Victory in West Virginia!

May 14, 2014 By Jennifer Burke


As the primaries on May 13^th came to a close, the Tea Party movement had the capital to proclaim once again, “We are not dead and the movement is stronger than ever.”

Much of the focus of Tea Party victory has been on the Nebraska Senate seat race where Ben Sasse, who was backed by numerous local and national Tea Party groups, easily cruised to victory with a resounding win over Sid Dinsdale, a banker, and Shane Osborn, the GOP establishment backed candidate. Sasse won with 49.4% of the vote. But, there was another Tea Party victory in the race for a crucial House seat in the state of West Virginia.
Alex Mooney, seen as the Tea Party favorite in the race for the 2^nd congressional district in West Virginia, had been endorsed by numerous Tea Party and other pro-Constitution groups including Senate Conservatives Fund, Eagle Forum, Family Research Council, Tea Party Express, Republican Liberty Caucus, and Gun Owners of America. Various Tea Party groups throughout the 2^nd congressional district of West Virginia also supported Mooney’s candidacy.
Mooney, the son of a Vietnam veteran and a Cuban refugee, previously served as a state senator in Maryland and chair of the Maryland GOP. A former executive with the Young America’s Foundation, Mooney moved to West Virginia just last year and said he did so “to live in freedom and he’ll fight Obama to preserve it.” As the Republican nominee for this House seat, he will now face Nick Casey, former state party chair of the Democrat Party in West Virginia in the general election.
An interesting contrast between these two general election opponents, aside from their differences in political ideology, relates to Obamacare. While Mooney is forthright regarding his opposition to Obamacare as well as his support for free-market health care reform in its place, Casey, like many of his Democrat counterparts, avoids any mention of Obamacare on his issues section of his website.

http://www.tpnn.com/2014/05/14/tea-p...west-virginia/