I have received numerous e-mails and comments regarding Ted Cruz, running for the Republican nomination for Senate in Texas. (added) Since we’re searching for candidates for Operation Counterweight, Cruz is just one of a number of candidates brought to my attention, in addition to Richard Mourdock in Indiana.
Here’s the most recent e-mail, from reader Pat:
This may not be as important as targeting a blue state race, but I will still suggest the Texas Senate race to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison (thank heavens she’s leaving!).
I would suggest Ted Cruz. http://www.tedcruz.org/home/
He appears to be the best conservative choice (and he can actually talk decently!). Cruz has been busy working the grassroots all over the state, and it’s having an effect as he has more contributors than other candidates.
Right now David Dewhurst is likely to win because of name recognition and large money donors, but he’s a major RINO.
Ted Cruz has much lower name recognition in the state thus far. Dewhurst has been around for years. Although, the Conservative Senatorial Committee is starting to run short ads in Texas for Cruz.
Dewhurst has started running ads in Texas with Mike Huckabee as his spokesman (don’t let Washington insiders tell you who to vote for, Dewhurst is the real conservative), besides his other ads.
We need as many conservatives in the Senate as possible and Dewhurst isn’t one, not at all.
However, whatever you decide, still love your blog!
Turning a Republican seat conservative is important too. In fact, if it’s a safe Republican seat then there is all the more reason to push for the most conservative, it’s essentially no lose. But I don’t know enough about the Texas Senate race. Who is the Democrat likely to be, and how safe is the seat for a Republican? Is Cruz more or less electable than Dewhurst, and how RINO is Dewhurst?
I know we have a lot of readers from Texas, so tell me about Ted Cruz.
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Comments
Time to send a “Cruz Missile” to D.C.!
He’s not a conservative and will not address the issue of his defense of a Chinese company that pirated an American companies ides. Ted Cruz is the lawyer representing Shandog Linglong against a US company.
What issue is there for him to “address”? It’s a business dispute, and he’s representing one side. Who’s to say which side is right? And what conceivable difference does it make that one side is Chinese and the other American? Does justice depend on where someone is from?! Are Chinese litigants less deserving than American ones?! Are we expected to take the side of one litigant just because it’s an American company?! What nonsense is this?
The Chinese pirated the tech from a US company. This happens every day and nothing is done to prevent it. Ted Cruz is on the wrong side of this issue. Hs will not be getting my vote.
Ted Cruz is both electable and very conservative. He’s young, attractive, and the son of Hispanic immigrants. I am supporting him, as well, though I am not an “activist” in the Republican Party in Texas.
David Dewhurst has great personal wealth, so he is able to self-fund, and, frankly, I’d not object very strenuously to have him become the next Governor (he’s currently Lt. Governor), BUT NOT THE NEXT SENATOR, when we need strong CONSERVATIVE voices in Washington.
I, too, have thought that Mike Huckabee’s ads for Dewhurst are disingenuous at best, but given his support of Mitt Romney, Huckabee’s endorsement does not surprise me. Dewhurst reminds me a great deal of Romney.
If you’re interested in turning safe Republican seat more conservative, there’s a tea party challenger to my current Representative, who won’t be after the district redraw. I’m now in a, guaranteed Democratic, Columbus centric district… so that should be fun.
Anyway, Pat Tiberi’s new District 12 has to be even more conservative than it was. He’s being challenged by Bill Yarbrough. Maybe a House seat isn’t enough to worry about when we’re almost curtain to retain it, but I thought I’d bring it to everyone’s attention. Tiberi is one of those comfy Congressmen who do very little substantially and keeps a low profile as he’s continuously reelected. I’d be nice to see him get booted and replaced with a someone who actually does something to roll back government.
The only chance of a Dem win in any statewide Texas race is if the Republicans nominate a total squish (as in someone who thinks Bush was far-right) or a crook. The last Dem senator elected in TX, Lloyd Bensen, ran as a conservative every year.
I am looking to Cruz.
I was supporting Michael Williams for Senate but has since decided to run for congress. Ted Cruz now has my support.
“Under the leadership of Attorney General Greg Abbott, Ted defended Texas values, winning repeatedly on a national level. During Ted’s service as Solicitor General, Texas achieved an unprecedented series of landmark national victories, including successfully defending:
U.S. sovereignty against the World Court in Medellin v. Texas.
The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms;
The constitutionality of the Texas Ten Commandments monument;
The constitutionality of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance;
The constitutionality of Texas Sexually Violent Predator Civil Commitment law; and
The Texas congressional redistricting plan.
The National Law Journal called him “a key voice” to whom “the [U.S. Supreme Court] Justices listen.”
I was supporting Michael Williams for Senate…
I was too and had sent a generous donation to the ‘Williams for Senate’ campaign. Then Williams bailed out to run in a district that was NOT my district. Very disappointing.
.
He is not in my district either, but I’m supporting Williams anyway. He would be a great addition to Congress. I live in a D+too+many district, so I send small checks every time I can to conservatives in other districts to help out.
I was also glad to see that these two worked out a way not to split the conservative vote. Too often the moderate wins a primary because of that.
Conservatives deserve to have both be in DC representing Texas.
Here are some articles. Of course, anything from NRO is suspect these days :-), but read beyond it for some nuggets that will resonate:
http://www.nationalreview.com/nrd/article/?q=NWIxYWQzOGFjYjMwYmU1MDdlZTZkN2RmZGE0OTk0ZTc=
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/257464/my-candidate-texas-jay-nordlinger
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/06/02/ted-cruz-for-senate-in-texas/
Club for Growth, Freedomworks endorsements, Macro Rubio-like immigrant story, argued before the Supreme Court numerous times, National Debate Champion in college for all of America. Princeton/Harvard grad (which, per Buckley, is not necessarily an endorsement — but I think he put his education to good use).
He is a good communicator, in a way that the party needs. He is very thoughtful about it.
Dewhurst is rich. That may be a campaign asset, but as we see with Romney, no guarantee of good ideas. Here is a take down of ways he caused problems in Texas:
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/05/19/david-dewhurst-embraces-the-dewcrist-label-and-openly-declares-war-on-conservatives/
Dewhurst is exactly not what we need in the Senate. Senator Demint agrees, and has endorsed Cruz.
Finally … Cruz has raised the same amount as Dewhurst, but at 12,000 to 800 donor ratio.
Says grassroots enthusiasm vs. big business donors, no? Just the kind of fight we’d like to pick.
The odds may be a bit longer than Rubio vs. Crist, but its similar … large, geographically spread media market, expensive to campaign in.
But I think its a great fight to pick, and Cruz has cut Dewhurst’s lead in half so far.
Heard about Ted Cruz when Mark Levin interviewed him a few months back. Ted is a constitutional conservative who has the backing of Levin as well as Senators Jim DeMint, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul. I’ve been supporting Ted Cruz ever since Michael Williams dropped out of the senate race. Dewhurst is a RINO who helped squelch the sanctuary city legislation at the behest of business cronies.
Cruz is da main.
Last I looked, the only “serious” Deemocrat had dropped out.
The nominee will be the senator.
Something to remember about Dewhurst: Perry pushed for two bills to be taken up again in a special session; the anti-TSA groping bill and the “sanctuary city” bill. The anti-TSA bill was written by Congressman Dan Patrick, and had a majority of support, especially after a Texas Congresswoman was humiliated in an airport when trying to return to Texas and being groped by a TSA agent.
When the anti-TSA bill was to come up on the floor, Dewhurst, who holds the same position as Joe Biden with the U.S. House, along with Speaker Joe Strauss, allowed TSA representatives to actually go on the floor of the House and work the members. The US Attorney, who had replaced Johnny Sutton of Ramos and Compean fame, sent a letter to Dewhurst and Strauss advising them if the bill passed, air traffic over Texas would have to be shut down due to national security precautions (the letter is on line, if you’re interested).
This scared the heck out of some Texas Dems, so along with allowing the TSA to work members on the floor of the House (never having seen that before) Dewhurst, along with Strauss, tabled the bill.
I talked to Patrick’s office the morning the bill was to come up. He had had the votes to pass it the night before, but was getting calls that morning that representitives had changed their minds since Dewhurst and Strauss were lobbying against it, along with threats from the TSA and the DoJ. By that afternoon, both bills were tabled. Congressman Patrick was so angered that he shouted at Dewhurst that if Dewhurst ever entertained ideas about running for governor, he would run against Dewhurst in the primaries, and win.
OTOH, Cruz supported both Texas bills. Cruz, as has been noted, is the son of immigrants. And he has a basic view of the U.S. Constitution, not as some whould interpret it, but as written and as described in the Federalist Papers. When it comes to the U.S. Constitution, Cruz is another Mike Lee.
He has been part of the Texas government for quite awhile, but unlike Dewhurst, has less name recognition and cannot self fund from personal wealth. It will be a tight race, and I can only hope that he gets a boost from the ever growing Hispanic Repubican base. He can’t win without them, and like Francisco Canseco, has an up hill battle.
Ted Cruz is a good man, and like Marco Rubio, appreciates the freedom this country provides. I would like to see him body slam RINO Dewhurst, and send a clear message to D.C. that the conservatives are coming.
Ted Cruz was Solicitor General of Texas for over 5 years. He was in front of the Supremes arguing states’ rights and other conservative issues. Incredible personal story of visceral conservatism and educational success, e.g. Harvard Law, Magna Cum Laude. He is 41 years old. Ted’s dad immigrated (the hard way) from Cuba at age 18. He is not a bombast, yet a skilled debater; and he’s brilliant.
At the moment I’m more interested in Victor Cruz as in “how will the Patriots defense stop this guy?” I’ll return to caring about up and coming conservatives after Sunday.
Good riddance to Kay Bailout Hutchison.Ted Cruz is a true Texan,speaks the dialect.http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/02/ted-cruz-says-of-endangered-li.html
“…Bob reports that one of the candidates, Ted Cruz, was asked a question about the federal Endangered Species Act.
The moderator of the candidates’ appearance, Bill Hammond, president and CEO of the business association, said the sand dune lizard could, if placed on the endangered list, threaten oil production in the Permian Basin of West Texas.
“That’s our lizard,” Cruz said. “And they make durned fine boots….”
Cruz is still running almost 20% behind Dewhurst:
http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2012/01/texas-senate-poll-dewhurst-leads-cruz-gains-james-struggles.
Perry’s favorability numbers are below 50%. Those seem to be mostly connected with his abortive run at President, but a portion seems to also be connected with general frustration with Perry. That may rub off (negatively) on Cruz.
Texas is currently a reliable GOP state. But I’m not sure it will continue to be in 10 years. There’s a bunch of us (like me) who have moved here from the north (or west). And that trend is obviously continuing.
And, OtherKen, you won’t stop Victor Cruz, or Nicks, or Manningham. They just continued to get better as the season rolled on.
Ted Cruz is a young man in a big hurry. He’s extremely articulate, a national debate champion at Princeton, Harvard lawyer, but he’s clearly using Texas as a way station to become a Washington insider. No real record (except as an appointed employee of the elected Attorney General), but a very good talker. Gives a great speech. Does that remind you of anyone?
Cruz apparently made more than $1.5 million last year as a lawyer, representing, among other clients, a Chinese tire company that ripped off the intellectual property of a 74-year-old Florida man and left him nearly bankrupt. Cruz is trying to overturn a $26 million judgment against the Chinese company (partially owned by the Chinese government), using technical defenses such as lack of court jurisdiction. Meanwhile, when asked why he opposes legislation to crack down on China currency manipulation, Cruz claims he doesn’t want to start a trade war.
Dewhurst as Lt. Governor has one of the most conservative records of any public official in America. The Texas legislature has balanced five biennial budgets — including two with huge $10 billion+ shortfalls — entirely by cutting spending, without raising taxes. On social issues, Dewhurst is again a leader, helping pass numerous pro-family and pro-life laws. He has pointedly been endorsed by ALL FOUR of the major pro-life organizations in Texas.
Cruz indeed talks a good game, and he’s clearly the favorite of Washington insiders. I don’t believe Dewhurst has a single endorsement from Washington. Virtually all of the conservative, business-oriented state grass roots organizations — Farm Bureau, Retailers, Realtors, etc — have endorsed Dewhurst. Cruz is a better talker, but Dewhurst has a proven record. You decide.
Wonder why you received so many dislikes… Go figure. I don’t plan on voting for him unless he comes up with a real good answer on the Chinese company issue. To me he’s just going to do anything for money and thats not exactly a conservative value.
[…] PROF. JACOBSON: So tell me about Ted Cruz. […]
http://www.plazadearmastx.com/index.php/politics/100-columns/1475-cruz-control-in-senate-race
http://www.scribd.com/doc/66901350/Patent-Lawsuit-Haunts-Senate-Candidate
http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/burkablog/?p=11444
See if you can get an answer from him about this issue. I’m pretty fed up with lawyers… sorry 🙂
Ted Cruz takes the oath to uphold our constitution with all due honesty and gravity. As Texas Solicitor General he fought for our liberty many times; one of the most famous is Medellin v Texas. The U.S. A. would not be on the brink of destruction if we had a lot more men like him who are loyal to the founding fathers’ form of government.
I think you may have overlooked the bad side of Ted Cruz.
http://www.plazadearmastx.com/index.php/politics/100-columns/1475-cruz-control-in-senate-race
http://www.scribd.com/doc/66901350/Patent-Lawsuit-Haunts-Senate-Candidate
http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/burkablog/?p=11444
I’m not voting for him. He has plenty of time to answer this issue and I have posted this on his web site but the admins won’t even allow it much less Cruz address the issue.
Professor Jacobson,
I think the last time I offered advice to you, it was about Rick Perry. I believed that I talked about his smart campaigning strategy. Seems I missed that one just a wee bit….
For that reason, I will refrain from offering advice this time.
It’s my understanding that Cruz is the most conservative, viable alternative to Dewhurst.
Mark Levin praised Cruz on his show yesterday. Interestingly, he did so just after praising Richard Mourdock and beating up on Dick Lugar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKb4eZe34xI
Lugar has not lived in Indiana, the state he represents, since the Carter administration. That would seem to be in violation of Art 1, Sec 3, of the US Constitution. More at my blog:
http://rebootcongress.blogspot.com/2012/02/is-senator-lugar-constitutionally.html
Here’s a link to Beldar’s endorsement of Ted Cruz in the Senate race.
Seems to me a guy with morals would not accept a case like this.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/burkablog/?p=11444
Unitil he comes up with a good answer I beleive we are better off with whatever comes our way.
ez,
Even Texas Monthly’s Paul Burka — the author of your link who doesn’t seem to like conservatives and claims he doesn’t like liberals, either — acknowledges Ted Cruz is a good attorney.
I think this is a much better analysis of Ted Cruz’ abilities than Mr. Burka could ever give us.
DRJ thanks for an answer but with all repect thats doesn’t really address what I and a few other Texas conservatives view as a big minus. Why doesn’t Ted address the issue?
I can see that it may cost him money if the Chinese pull the plug on his law office and I’m sure there are legal reason for as well. The problem is that I couldn’t look in the mirror in the morning after doing what Ted Cruz has done.
ez,
I understand you think this should be an important issue and maybe it will be. However, legal cases often involve issues that touch on politics, events in the news, or subjects that some people find objectionable. That doesn’t mean the parties shouldn’t have counsel or that attorneys should refuse to represent them.
Cruz is an appellate lawyer so I doubt he represented the Chinese company at trial. If his law firm represented the client at trial or in other matters, he may not have had a real choice to decline. Also, the main concerns in appellate cases are the legal issues, not who the parties are. With rare exception, representing a client is more a legal exercise than choosing a cause you believe in.
Nevertheless, while lawyers get paid to come up with good ways to present and achieve their clients’ goals, I understand it can be hard not to blame them when the clients are distasteful. It will probably be a close election so anything could make a difference, but it surprises me this would bother a Tea Party supporter (a cause I also support) since Cruz is so much more conservative than the other candidates in the race.
The court records show that he is counsel of record for the defendants.
http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/uploadedFiles/Reuters_Content/2011/10_-_October/morrison–lanhamact.pdf
I agree Cruz is the Chinese company’s attorney in the appeal but I doubt he was its attorney at trial. Cruz is an appellate lawyer and in the legal field, that’s an advanced and rare specialty similar to what neurosurgery is in medicine. Appellate attorneys like Cruz don’t normally do trial work, especially those who have extensive experience in representing clients before the Supreme Court.
One more thing: I’m not sure how much Cruz can discuss this because he owes a duty of confidentiality to his client and to his law firm. Cruz can address what’s in the legal documents but, in all likelihood, I doubt he can discuss his feelings toward his client, unpublished details of the dispute, or why he took the case.
Is “ez” really Steve Aldrin, the man with an obsessive/compulsive vendetta for Ted Cruz ?
I find it interesting Aldrin shows up wherever
Ted Cruz is being discussed. Some people might
believe he is a shill for the Dewhurst campaign.
Further to the point, Cruz is a highly respected
star performer in the appellate arena of the legal
field and it is perfectly understandable why he would
be hired by a firm with the resources to pay him.
For his opponents to insinuate he is, as Aldrin has, a
Manchurian Candidate is beyond risible and laughable.
A first class constitutional lawyer filing an appeal
for his client is now grounds for treason just because
they happen to be Chinese ? Really now.
This is all the Dewhurst crowd can come up with ? I think
David ought to consider hiring adults to troll the internet
who can offer cogent and coherent arguments against Cruz instead of this histrionic nonsense.
No I am not Steve Aldrin. I could care less about Dewhurst. I am sick of slick crooks running our country into the ground. If Ted Cruz had a set he would resign as counsel for the pirate companies or even find work elsewhere. How many companies have to be plowed under while our legal system works it’s wonderful magic?
I’m in Texas and I vote so I pay attention. Not many of us do but thats the way it goes. Get ted to say why he represent these pirates and let the rest of decide whether or not he deserves our vote.
The nice thing about the internet is that you can find news you are interested in. You don’t have to wait for it to be served up by some network.
Ted Cruz may be a great candidate – he has a pretty good record working with Attorney General Abbott – but I don’t trust him. The way he’s running his campaign comes off as incredibly arrogant, and I was similarly unimpressed when I got to talk with him briefly last year. I’m undecided between Dewhurst (establishment) and Addison (no real chance of winning but quite a Tea Party fireball).