Tea Party Republicans continued to influence primaries Tuesday in Texas, as former state Solicitor General and Tea Party candidate Ted Cruz won enough votes – 34% – to force a July 31 run-off for the party’s Senate nomination with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who received 45% of the vote.
Dewhurst was backed by CUNA and endorsed by the Texas Credit Union League.
Winter Prosapio, assistant vice president of public affairs, said the league does not regularly endorse candidate, but “given the lieutenant governor’s strong record of supporting credit unions and unwavering stance on key issues, we made an exception.”
The winner of the run-off is favored to succeed retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) against the eventual Democrat challenger; the Democratic primary failed to produce a clear-cut leader, and will also go to a July 31 run-off.
Meanwhile, Texas Democratic Rep. Silvestre Reyes lost his bid for a ninth term, falling to Beto O’Rourke, a younger former city councilman, by 50.5% to 44.3%. The El Paso-based incumbent, who was backed by CUNA, joins other Capitol Hill fixtures who have been defeated in primaries this year.
