Texas GOP Beats Back Tea Party

Establishment Republican leaders on “defeated challenges from the right in a statewide primary election as conservatives inspired by Senator Ted Cruz largely failed to topple mainstream incumbents, and a race for lieutenant governor headed for a runoff,” the New York Times reports.

“Two Republican leaders in Congress — Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) — and a number of other Republicans in the House overcame opponents backed by Tea Party activists. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst will face a conservative state senator, Dan Patrick, in a runoff on May 27, a sign that Mr. Dewhurst’s loss to Mr. Cruz in the 2012 Senate primary runoff continued to hurt his popularity.”