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"AUSTIN — Insurgent conservative Ted Cruz rolled over Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Tuesday to win the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in a triumph of tea party power over the Texas establishment. “Tonight is a victory for the grass roots,” Cruz told a cheering crowd at his packed Marriott ballroom victory party in Houston. “This is how elections are supposed to be decided: by we, the people.” Dewhurst called Cruz to concede and, Cruz said, offered his support for the general election. “We will never stop fighting for our beloved Texas,” Dewhurst told a crowd at an Omni hotel in Houston. “We will never stop fighting for our conservative principles. We will never stop fighting President Barack Obama and his liberal agenda.” Gov. Rick Perry, who had campaigned with Dewhurst, called on “all conservative Texans” to rally behind Cruz. On the Democratic side, former lawmaker Paul Sadler beat retired educator Grady Yarbrough to advance to the November election for the seat now held by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is not seeking re-election. But the GOP runoff is expected to be decisive because Texas has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994. Cruz's victory has broad implications for state and national politics. “What we're seeing is a tea party tidal wave,” said Ryan Seth Hecker of FreedomWorks for America, which helped mobilize the grass roots for Cruz, at Cruz's election-night party. Political scientist David Woodard of Clemson University called Cruz's victory “historic.” “It reminds me of Rubio,” he said, referring to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's win over Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for his seat in 2010. The hard-hitting Cruz-Dewhurst fight was the latest in a rolling national battle pitting establishment-backed Republicans against insurgent conservatives in a fight to shape GOP politics and policy. “It signals that the tea party members of the Republican Party are stronger than most people thought,” said Arturo Vega, associate professor of political science at St. Mary's University as he weighed the prospect of a Cruz victory. “It's going to mean a whole new Republican Party, I think.” Dewhurst, 66, came to the race with advantages including a large personal fortune built in the energy business and a name already well known to Texans. Calling himself the most conservative lieutenant governor ever, Dewhurst had the backing of state officials including Perry, who preceded him as lieutenant governor, plus support from establishment groups representing business, agriculture and other interests. Cruz, 41, offered a life story rooted in his father's flight to freedom to the United States from the Batista regime in Cuba and a record as state solicitor general of handling cases on issues dear to conservatives' hearts, such as national sovereignty. That Cruz has never held elected office seemed an advantage as he campaigned relentlessly across Texas to court grass-roots groups and captured the imagination and backing of national movement conservative groups and figures. His supporters included former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, former presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, archconservative U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and groups including the Club for Growth, which provided significant financial support, and FreedomWorks. The importance of the race could be counted in the numbers alone: It was the most expensive nonpresidential race this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The two men's campaigns and outside groups poured a combined $46.3 million into the race, as tallied by the center. Dewhurst loaned his campaign $24.5 million and paid himself back $5.1 million. Cruz put more than $1 million personally into his race. Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said it was the most expensive runoff in Texas history. pfikac@express-news.net Twitter @pfikac Houston Chronicle reporter Chris Moran and San Antonio Express-News reporter Kolten Parker contributed to this report."
<https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/politics/article/Cruz-tops-Dewhurst-in-contest-for-Senate-3752165.php>