Who's left in Texas GOP Senate primary?

Washington Times:

With two Republican contenders for the 2012 Senate race in Texas dropping out recently to run instead for a House seat, conventional wisdom has the GOP contest shaping up as a two-man showdown between the “establishment” candidate, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and the tea party insurgent, former Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

But party insiders and political observers in the state say that assessment is premature.

Mr. Dewhurst officially hasn’t declared for the race, and Mr. Cruz may still have serious challengers for the tea party mantle, despite the departures of Fort Worth auto dealer Roger Williams and former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, another tea party favorite.

Both men set their sights instead on the new District 33 congressional seat in the Fort Worth area, one of four new districts added in Texas as a result of the 2010 census.

Mr. Cruz, the Harvard-educated son of a Cuban-Texan, has been at the top of early fundraising totals and picked up a slew of high-profile endorsements in recent weeks, generating national buzz as a Texas version of Florida’s Sen. Marco Rubio.

But a potential political rival released a privately commissioned poll earlier this month that showed Mr. Cruz garnering just 2 percent support from Republican voters in a still-crowded field of potential and announced candidates.

The poll showed state Sen. Dan Patrick, a Republican talk show host from Houston who emerged as a conservative champion in the just-finished session of the Texas Legislature, topping the field with 19 percent.

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Mr. Dewhurst, acknowledged as the architect of the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature’s efforts this year to close a $15 billion budget shortfall without raising taxes, hasn’t declared his candidacy either. But he sent his strongest signal yet Tuesday in email to supporters promising “exciting news” July 18.

Mr. Dewhurst, a multimillionaire who could self-finance at least part of what is expected to be a $15 million to $20 million campaign, has long been considered the Republican Party favorite to replace Mrs. Hutchison. But Texas insiders say it’s a mistake to underestimate Mr. Patrick.

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Patrick is smarter than he sometimes comes across on his radio show. He has also been a much more effective legislator than most people expected. He searches for creative solutions to problems. I suspect funding a campaign is his biggest drawback at this point.

Dewhurst would have name recognition to go along with his wallet although I would be hard pressed to say where he stands on any given issue even though I have followed his political career in the media for years. He seems to go along with the conservative consensus in the Texas Senate, for the most part, without really leading it.

I find Cruz the most interesting candidate left in the race. He is smart, and he has been effective at raising money and creating buzz. It would be a mistake to underestimate him in this race. I think all three could do a good job for Texas, but Cruz has the potential to really excel if he is elected.