There were two state primaries on July 31, in Georgia and Texas (actually a runoff for candidates failing to secure a majority in May). The latter got the lion’s share of national attention, with the predictable if not universally predicted victory of former state solicitor general Ted Cruz over Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst for the GOP Senate nomination.
Cruz won easily (57-43), overcoming a major financial disadvantage, Dewhurst’s universal name ID (he’s been in his statewide post for 10 years), and his opponent’s strong backing from most Texas Republican officials, most notably Gov. Rick Perry and two candidates dispatched from the field in May (Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and former SMU, NFL and ESPN star Craig James). While most observers interpreted the results via the familiar template of Tea Party Insurgent Defeats Moderate Establishment Pol, what made the race fascinating was that Dewhurst was an unlikely target for an ideological purge. A self-described “constitutional conservative” with strong backing from Texas business and social-conservative groups, about the only “heresy” he could be credibly accused of was a record of occasional negotiations with Democrats in the Texas legislature. But that was enough: Cruz’s vast array of out-of-state backers (e.g., the Club for Growth, Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservative Fund, various Tea Party groups, Sarah Palin) argued that weak-kneed Beltway Republicans needed to be sent another message against any compromise with Democrats on the difficult fiscal issues expected to come up immediately following the November elections—win or lose.
Another interpretation is simply that the line separating “true conservatives” from just regular conservatives is continuing to move to the Right. Cruz is notable for embracing some of the odder memes of the Tea Party Movement, such as the demonization of any sort of controls on economic development as emanating from a United Nations-led conspiracy dating back to the adoption of a vague “Agenda 21” at the Rio conference on sustainable development back in 1992 (this has been a particular obsession of the John Birch Society, but has inspired actual legislation in Alabama and pops up regularly in state and local GOP party platforms). Continue reading “Election Watch: Texas and Georgia Go Conservative, Presidential Race Drags On”
PPI’s Will Marshall detailed Mitt Romney’s recent adventure in the world of foreign policy over at The American Interest. Romney was able to stumble his way through a trip to Britain, Israel, and Poland all while offering very little in the form of substantive policies focusing more on criticisms of President Obama’s foreign policy.
The last week has continued the earlier pattern of daily fireworks in the presidential contest (excepting a brief pause in hostilities immediately after the Aurora massacre), but little if any significant movement in the polls. As anyone near a battleground state television can attest, the Obama campaign (and the Priorities USA super PAC) has continued harsh personal attacks on Mitt Romney as an out-of-touch rich man with no emotional connection with the middle class or interest in its aspirations, who is furthermore determined to cut taxes for people like him. The Romney campaign (which is now beginning to get advertising reinforcement from the very deep pockets of conservative super PACs) has responded harshly with a battery of ads and campaign speeches focusing on a clip from an Obama speech in Roanoke wherein he supposedly disrespected the personal contributions to the economy of entrepreneurs (in fact he was paraphrasing a well-known litany by Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren about the reliance of private businesses on public services and investments). It’s not entirely clear whether this intense barrage is intended simply to reinforce the general and long-standing Republican critique of Obama as someone who does not understand how the economy works and believes government is the source of all good things, or is more narrowly targeted at undermining Obama’s relatively strong standing with upscale, college-educated voters.
Despite the languorous weather and the decamping of many Americans to Vacationland, the election season is staying lively, and will probably remain so at least until the Olympics begin on July 27.
Will Marshall compiled four positive economic stories for Real Clear Politics that President Obama should be making better use of in his campaign for re-election. From farming to exports there are positive signs in the economy according to Marshall.
Editor’s note: This item is cross-posted from 
The presidential nominating contest officially came to a close on Tuesday with Utah’s primary—a reminder that this winner-take-all state was Mitt Romney’s ultimate fallback had the last real competitor standing, Rick Santorum, been able to make the Midwestern breakthrough he was so close to achieving.
PPI Senior Fellow Anne Kim writes for The Hill on the record number of women running for Congress and their potential impact on Capitol Hill:
This week’s skirmishing in the presidential campaign revolved around the president’s immigration initiative and preparations for the Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act, due to be handed down next week.
explains how to de-polarize Congress over at Roll Call:
June 5 represented the rare moment when a down-ballot contest almost completely eclipsed the presidential race, with the Wisconsin recall election blotting out the sun for several days. As you know by now, Scott Walker survived the recall effort by a solid 53-46 margin. Democrats did manage to recall a Republican state senator, and achieve control of the chamber—though that accomplishment was mainly symbolic, since the legislature is out of session until after the November elections.
PPI President Will Marshal explains why Bill Clinton’s contributions to restoring the language of civic obligation are so frequently overlooked over at 
PPI Executive Director Lindsay Lewis explains the outsized and damaging influence of both the super rich and net roots activists over at