7/29/12, "Tea party’s Cruz looks poised for Texas triumph," Politico, D. Catanese
"Ted Cruz is on the cusp of a win in the Texas Republican Senate runoff that would shatter conventional campaign wisdom and elevate him as one of the brightest stars of the tea party generation....
Despite being outspent more than 3-to-1, having never run for office and being tasked with penetrating the Lone Star State’s 20 media markets with virtually zero name recognition, Cruz is well positioned to upset Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst Tuesday. It’s a scenario that would send shockwaves through the political elite and embolden the thousands of conservatives from across the country who have descended here to help push him over the finish line.
It’s one thing for a tea party candidate to swipe away an individual House seat or dominate a party convention in a small state, but a statewide win in supersize Texas would be a new high-water mark.
“Dewhurst had every advantage you can have. What Cruz has done to this point was once unthinkable and is now remarkable. He will be an overnight star if he wins, which he is favored to do right now,” said Austin-based GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak, a Cruz supporter and former press secretary to retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
The two most recent public polls have shown Cruz ahead. And a Dewhurst ally with knowledge of an internal survey separate from the campaigns told POLITICO his preferred candidate was trailing by high single digits heading into the weekend.
“I think [Dewhurst’s] done,” said the Republican who shared the information in exchange for anonymity. “It’s Nebraska, Indiana. You just smell it. He’s toast.”...
An Austin-based GOP-er who runs in Dewhurst’s circles asserted the view within the campaign was equally grim, lamenting the drag of a consultant-heavy team that hadn’t prepared for the prospect of a drawn-out runoff.
“The campaign has more political consultants than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has singers,” groused the insider.
Just a few months ago, the 66-year-old Dewhurst was seen as the inevitable nominee. Backed by Gov. Rick Perry and reinforced by his coterie of close-knit aides, the lieutenant governor appeared to hold a bulletproof advantage by virtue of institutional Austin support and vast personal wealth.
But Cruz steadily transformed a threadbare campaign into a conservative calling — and a combination of raw political talent, soaring eloquence, relentless grass-roots cultivation and some good fortune helped create the perfect storm."...via Free Republic
----------------------------------------------------
7/29/12, "Isn't it a shame that we have to first defeat our own party before we can fight the Democrats?"
Sunday, July 29th at 3:55PM EDT"comment to 7/27/12, diary, "JoAnn Fleming Slams Patrick Over Dewhurst Endorsement," at RedState.com
.
No comments:
Post a Comment