Perry makes voice heard in Texas Senate race
(CNN) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry cut a TV new ad backing Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in his campaign for U.S. Senate, a little more than a week ahead of the Lone Star State's Republican primary.
"We have a lot to be proud of," the former presidential candidate said in the ad released Monday. "That's why I'm proud to endorse David Dewhurst."
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Perry first officially endorsed Dewhurst in April. The Senate candidate has served as Perry's right-hand man in Austin for nearly ten years and stumped for the governor during his unsuccessful presidential campaign.
Like many GOP Senate primaries this cycle, the race in Texas has shaped into a contest between a candidate with establishment support-Dewhurst-and a tea party favored contender with backing from national conservative groups-Ted Cruz.
In the polls, however, Dewhurst has long remained ahead of his rivals, including Cruz, and his campaign has fought hard to boost the lieutenant governor's conservative credentials against a tsunami of attack ads.
"David's the one candidate best prepared to make conservative change happen in Washington," Perry said in the ad. "Don't let anyone tell you different."
While Dewhurst has seen larger fundraising hauls than Cruz, his opponent has attracted national attention and significant spending from independent groups on his behalf.
FreedomWorks, a conservative grassroots organization, said it has dropped $150,000 into the race on get-out-the-vote efforts, while the fiscal group Club for Growth said it has spent a whopping $2 million, in addition to bundling $750,000 from its members directly into Cruz's campaign.
Perry's ad came after Sarah Palin threw her voice into the race. She endorsed Cruz earlier this month in a nod that the campaign credits with sparking a "huge surge."
Early voting has already started in Texas, with the final contest date set for May 29. Dewhurst would need to win 50% of the vote in order to avoid a run-off primary this summer.
Former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and ESPN broadcaster Craig James are also running for the seat, soon to be vacated by retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
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Geez Louise!! The spell-check police are out in full force!! Lighten up!
In my humble opinion, Perry is a big dummy and I am sorry that some people actually think he is true representative of people in Texas. Not so 🙁
Perry's guy VS Palin's guy.................who cares??
Perry showed what he is worth during the GOP nominating process. Palin is just worthless.
Worked with Perry for 10 years – two Perrys really must be too much for Texas. Palin – did robo calls to Kansas for
her Tea Party Texas candidate. Goes to show – the quitter is out to lunch
It should be embarassing to be endorsed by either of these lightwieghts. Neither have ANY leadership ability or fresh ideas.
Why is Perry still news? Three reasons. First, um...Oops. Why is Palin still news? Ask Perry.
There are not many politicians that can give Palin a challenge for the incompetency championship, but he is trying hard!
"Romney's campaign has largely kept its distance from the George W. Bush administration, though last year the candidate mentioned Cheney had ideal qualities for a running mate pick."
You know, Mitt Romney CAN walk away from Cheney. That he chooses not to does
indicate he'll be another GW once again following Cheney's leading straps.
This fundraiser only adds to that element of not being able to distance himself
from what Mitt knows is going to include big time payback. So, yeah, Mitt ...
keep following the devil. A year or so from now, keep asking yourself how
that worked out for you - President or not. Because once you're beholden
to the likes of Dick Cheney, he OWNS you.
Sarah Palin, huh? Poor CNN. Still barking up the TeaPers tree of dispair.
Let them duke it out in Texas. The Citizens United decision is the best thing to happen to media outlets since the newspaper.
Geez... Republicans don't even like each other. Other than Nazi-esque propaganda and scapecoat making, do these people like ANY-thing or ANY-body??? What a party of Hate. And this is supposed ot be the party of the Christians? I have never seen anything so NON-Christ-like as the GOP.
Wow – getting endorsed by Gov Petty – I mean Perry is a no brainer for a losing candidate. Gov. Perry is anti women, anti disabled, anti elderly, anti education/teachers, and anti children – what is left.....for him to leave town and not let the door hit him from behind.....He is trying to pull his muscle and get rid of our fabulous UT President.....he is so full of himself that Texans (both dem/rep) are sick of him.....we are embarrassed with his lack of leadership and for single handedly totally making Texans look like fools......go away!!
This dude lacks brain....
The Republican Party still attracts the uneducated racists, the very rich or the people who think if they don't vote Republican they will all go to hell. All very predictable and all within inches of being the American Taliban.
Once again as a Texan, I hang my head in embarrassment. I was hoping Perry would somehow just go away. But, like Palin, he has more politcial lives than Wiley Coyote. What a choice we're faced with. I'm leaning toward Dewhurst, not because Perry endorsed him (that's actually a reason not to vote for him), but because I don't like the idea of Sarah Palin and all the other outsiders telling me what's good for Texas and trying to buy the election with shady outside money.
Two RINO peas in a pod..they BOTH liked a state income tax too...and they LOVE illegal immigrants so much they managed to keep EVERIFY out of Texas!
CRUZ is the REAL Conservative
I wonder if either of these two toads ever look themselves in the mirror and ask themselves why so many people find them both nauseating.
Perry and Palin ...... the two biggest retards on our planet
This is just another reason I hate living in Texas.
Brought to you by the same people who give you Mitt McCain the hopeless lying candidate. Obama/Biden 2012!
Poeple dont be crying like a baby what you haven't defend as an adult! If you dont like what is happening in DC or Texas, do what we the 1% do change it! Unfortunately for you all, not all could be part of the 1%, we keep that gated for the rest. After all we 1% need workers.
Hopefully the VOTER IN TEXAS will vote for the person who would serve the people of Texas in the US Senate. How nice it would be of that person is someone who knows how to work with others who have different beliefs and will work to include the needs of all Americans and not those who support their own ideas and rules.
Talk about a battle or wits. I bet they have fascinating discussions on topics like is the world round or flat.
Maybe Palin and Perry can join Commander Newt and head off for the moon, thereby starting a colony of redundant gas bags truly not of this Earth.
Perry vs Palin.......Race to the Bottom
@Stephen in VA – Why does Perry look like he's standing crooked in the picture?
Crooked is as crooked does...