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Elections

Tea Party Darling Ted Cruz Is New US Senator

Tea Party-backed Republican Ted Cruz has won the race for Texas' open U.S. Senate seat. He beat former Democratic state Representative Paul Sadler to succeed retiring Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison.

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Ted Cruz, the ex-state solicitor general, was heavily favored since Texas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. Paul Sadler conceded the race to the Republican Cruz, urging supporters to “be proud of the voters’ choice.”  

When the presidential race was still undecided, Cruz told supporters at the Hilton in the Galleria that if Barack Obama is re-elected, he hopes he will do more to work with both Democrats and Republicans:

“Let me say this: if President Obama means what he says on the campaign trail, if he is interested in working to bring people together, to reduce the deficit and get people working, then I will work with him. But if he is re-elected and intends to continue down this same path, then I will spend every waking moment working to lead the fight to stop it.”

Cruz, the first Hispanic elected U.S. Senator, became a national sensation after his upset victory over Lt. Governor David Dewhurst in July, to win the Republican senatorial nomination.

View photos on Flickr

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