Cruz and the GOP: It’s Not Just the Tea Party
Ted Cruz overtook David Dewhurst in yesterday's election runoff. Photo by Michael Stravato/Texas TribuneAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The upset victory by Ted Cruz over David Dewhurst for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination has political pundits across the country trying to decipher what the results mean. Has the tea party taken over Texas? Are establishment candidates like Gov. Rick Perry no longer electable?
The Texas Tribune’s Ross Ramsey says Cruz has more than the tea party to thank for this victory. He talked with KUT’s Ben Philpott about last night’s election.
It’s not straight anti-incumbent; it’s anti-establishment. If you are an incumbent who is one of them, and who is receptive to them or is coming around to them, those voters seem to hold you in a favorable light. It’s the candidates that they didn’t think were listening to them and that they thought were sort of the-way-business-is-done candidates, and people who looked like they’d been in office too long.
