HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM) – It’s been less than a day since former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz forced a runoff against Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst for the vacant U.S. Senate seat, but that doesn’t mean the campaigning has taken a break.

In Houston, both Dewhurst and Cruz began throwing political punches Wednesday. Dewhurst said his record shows he helped create the business environment for the booming Texas economy.

“Contrast that with a lawyer who has ties to the Washington insiders,” he said. “In a runoff, I think we win … this race is a clear, clear contrast between a lawyer with special interest Washington ties and a Texas conservative businessman that has fought for Texans over the years, helped create the best economy.”

Cruz rejects that argument –– he also ignores complaints from Dewhurst supporters who aren’t happy Cruz received Sarah Palin’s endorsement.

“I can tell you I’m proud to have support from conservatives all across this country,” he said. “If you think the answer to what’s going on in Washington is to send another moderate establishment incumbent politician, you have a choice.  And if you think the answer is to send a strong conservative and fighter, I think you have an easy choice.”

In Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton Counties combined, Cruz won 3,000 more votes than Dewhurst. The Lieutenant Governor hinted that former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert’s supporters in North Texas cost him votes.

Leppert dropped out of the race early after falling thousands of votes behind his two main competitors.

During the first part of the primary, Dewhurst was also criticized for not showing up at candidate forums. Now, Cruz has challenged Dewhurst to five debates before the July 31 runoff vote.

“As I understand it, he suggested let’s do more than five. We have nine weeks, I’d be glad to do one a week for each of those nine weeks,” Cruz said.

Dewhurst said he would agree to Cruz’s request when asked about it.

“You know the man must be scared of me; just five?,” Dewhurst asked. “I said earlier, I’ll debate Mr. Cruz anytime he wants as long as we got a TV station willing to sponsor it statewide.”

Political analysts say the runoff resets the race. Some believe Cruz may have more loyal voters who will go to the poll a second time.

But others say Dewhurst has enough name recognition and visibility in his role as Lieutenant Governor to win the GOP nomination.

The winner between Dewhurst and Cruz will face the winner of Paul Sadler and Grady Yarbrough, who will also go to a runoff to determine the Democratic Party’s nomination.

Texas has not elected a Democrat to that U.S. Senate seat since 1988.

Both Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and tea party darling Ted Cruz claim that’s good news.

But finding out who’s right may ultimately depend on just how low turnout goes.

About 11 percent of registered Republicans cast ballots Tuesday. That meant about 1.4 million people voted in the GOP race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Dewhurst won 43 percent of the vote, 10 points more than Cruz.

Mark Jones of Rice University expects turnout for the runoff to fall to between 750,000 and 1 million ballots cast.

The higher the better for Dewhurst, he says. Lower turnout likely benefits Cruz.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Mitt Romney’s new app misspells the word “America.” (Photo illustration by Kent Chapline, CBSDFW.COM)

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) -  Tuesday night Mitt Romney clinched the Republican presidential nomination by winning the Texas primary.

Shortly afterward, his campaign launched a new iPhone app.  Which misspells “America.”

The app, called “With Mitt,” allows users to take a photo and add a pre-made pro-Romney slogan, then share it via social media.

The first slogan is supposed to read “A Better America.”  Instead, it reads, “A Better AMERCIA.”

As Rick Perry might say, oops.

The mistake appears to be a typo.  But if there’s one word a U.S. Presidential candidate shouldn’t misspell, it’s probably “America.”

The developer of the app most likely made the mistake.  And Romney’s campaign has reportedly submitted an update to the app and is waiting for Apple to approve it.  But as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, it was still available on the App Store.

The internet exploded with delight over the mistake.  “#Amercia” was a trending topic on Twitter, and somebody made a Tumblr blog featuring users’ photos from the app.

Romney isn’t the first politician to make a slip of the tongue (or fingers) on the campaign trail, and he won’t be the last.

Still, it’s a safe bet that he will assign someone to triple-check the campaign’s spelling from now through November.

We’re pretty sure you have an opinion about this.  Tell us about it in the comments, below!

According to The Associated Press count, Romney surpassed the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination by winning at least 97 delegates in the Texas primary.

The former Massachusetts governor has reached the nomination milestone with a steady message of concern about the U.S. economy, a campaign organization that dwarfed those of his GOP foes and a fundraising operation second only to that of his Democratic opponent in the general election, President Barack Obama.

Romney would be the first Mormon nominated by a major party. His religion has been less of an issue than it was during his failed bid four years ago.

“We did it!” Romney proclaimed in a message to supporters, noting that “it’s only the beginning.”

“An honor and a privilege and a great responsibility,” Romney told supporters at a fundraiser in Las Vegas. “And I know the road to 1,144 was long and hard, but I also know that the road to 11-06 — Nov. 6th — is also going to be long and it’s going to be hard and it’s going to be worth it because we’re going to take back the White House and get America right again.”

Romney must now fire up conservatives who still doubt him while persuading swing voters that he can do a better job fixing the nation’s struggling economy than Obama. In Obama, he faces a well-funded candidate with a proven campaign team in an election that will be heavily influenced by the economy.

Romney’s campaign went on the attack Tuesday, releasing a Web video citing the Obama administration’s loan-guarantee investments in four renewable-energy firms that lost money and laid off workers.

The message — “President Obama is fundamentally hostile to job creators” — has been a theme of the Romney campaign since he launched his presidential bid. But sensing an opportunity to reach a new audience, the campaign planned to highlight Obama’s support for the failed renewable energy company Solyndra, among other private ventures the Obama administration helped support.

“We need to have presidents who understand how this economy works,” Romney told reporters Tuesday. “Sometimes I just don’t think he understands what it takes to help people. I know he wants to help, but he doesn’t know what he’s got to do.”

Romney’s message and his big day, however, were somewhat overshadowed by real estate mogul Donald Trump and his discredited suggestions that Obama wasn’t born in the United States.

Romney spent Tuesday evening at a Las Vegas fundraiser with Trump, who had toyed with the idea of running for president. Romney says he believes Obama was born in America but has yet to condemn Trump’s repeated insinuations to the contrary.

“If Mitt Romney lacks the backbone to stand up to a charlatan like Donald Trump because he’s so concerned about lining his campaign’s pockets, what does that say about the kind of president he would be?” Obama’s deputy campaign manager, Stephanie Cutter, said in a statement.

Both Trump and Romney steered clear of the issue at Tuesday’s fundraiser. Asked Monday about Trump’s contentions, Romney said: “I don’t agree with all the people who support me. And my guess is they don’t all agree with everything I believe in.” He added: “But I need to get 50.1 percent or more. And I’m appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people.”

Republicans won’t officially nominate Romney until late August at the GOP national convention in Tampa, Fla. Romney has 1,183 convention delegates.

He won at least 97 delegates in Texas with 33 left to be decided. The 152 delegates in Texas are awarded in proportion to the statewide vote. The other delegates were sprinkled among several candidates.

Texas Republicans also voted in a Senate primary to choose a candidate to run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Solicitor General Ted Cruz were headed to a runoff in July.

With about three-fourths of precincts reporting, Dewhurst led with 45 percent of the vote compared to 33 percent for Cruz. Dewhurst, however, fell short of the majority he needed to avoid a runoff. The nominee will be strongly favored to win in November in heavily Republican Texas.

Romney, 65, is clinching the presidential nomination later in the calendar than any recent Republican candidate — but not quite as late as Obama in 2008. Obama clinched the Democratic nomination on June 3, 2008, at the end of an epic primary battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Four years ago, John McCain reached the threshold on March 4, after Romney had dropped out of the race about a month earlier.

This year’s primary fight was extended by a back-loaded primary calendar, new GOP rules that generally awarded fewer delegates for winning a state and a Republican electorate that built up several other candidates before settling on Romney.

Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Trump — all of them sat atop the Republican field at some point. Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann peaked for a short time, too. But Romney outlasted them all, even as some GOP voters and tea party backers questioned his conservative credentials.

The primary race started in January with Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, narrowly edging Romney in the Iowa caucuses. Romney rebounded with a big win in New Hampshire before Gingrich, the former House speaker, won South Carolina.

Romney responded with a barrage of negative ads against Gingrich in Florida and got a much-needed 14-point win. Romney’s opponents fought back: Gingrich called him a liar, and Santorum said Romney was “the worst Republican in the country” to run against Obama.

Gingrich and Santorum assailed Romney’s work at Bain Capital, the private equity firm he co-founded, saying the firm sometimes made millions at the expense of workers and jobs. It is a line of attack that Obama has promised to carry all the way to November.

On Feb. 7 Santorum swept all three contests in Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota, raising questions about Romney’s status as the front-runner. After a 17-day break in the voting, Romney responded with wins in Arizona, Michigan and Washington state before essentially locking up the nomination on March 6, this year’s version of Super Tuesday.

Romney has been in general-election mode for weeks, raising money and focusing on Obama, largely ignoring the primaries since his competitors dropped out or stopped campaigning. Santorum suspended his campaign April 10, and Gingrich left the race a few weeks later.

Both initially offered tepid endorsements of Romney but Gingrich is now actively promoting Romney’s campaign.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul said on May 14 he would no longer compete in primaries, though his supporters are still working to gain national delegates at state conventions.

Rich Galen, a Republican strategist who has been unaligned in the 2012 race, said the long, sometimes nasty primary fight should help Romney fine-tune his campaign organization so it can operate effectively in the general election. Galen doesn’t, however, think it was relevant in toughening up Romney for the battle against Obama.

“Romney’s been running for president for six years. He is as good a candidate as he’s ever going to be,” Galen said. “Whatever you say about him, he was better than everybody else in the race.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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The contentious Senate race was the most-watched among hundreds of races in the Texas primary for the Republican presidential nomination, Congress, the Legislature, judges and various state boards. But turnout across the state was low, perhaps due in part to sweltering heat, confusion about a primary date that had been rescheduled twice because of redistricting disputes and Memorial Day weekend travels that kept some folks away from home.

Dewhurst, who counted Gov. Rick Perry among his backers, led the former Texas solicitor general but couldn’t close the deal by collecting more than 50 percent of the vote. Voters now will decide between Dewhurst and Cruz on July 31.

“We did it,” Cruz told jubilant supporters gathered in Houston, calling the outcome “a victory for conservatives.”

“This is an incredible unbelievable night. … A year and a half ago there’s wasn’t a soul in the state of Texas that thought this was possible.”

Dewhurst, at a considerably more subdued gathering in Houston, also touted his conservatism but focused his remarks more on President Barack Obama, saying he wanted to repeal the president’s health-care overhaul and end a “war on Texas.”

Perry congratulated voters for their “strong commitment to conservative values to keep our state on the fiscally responsible path leading to jobs and opportunity.” He put in another pitch for Dewhurst, urging them to “more than ever … work to send a proven conservative leader like David Dewhurst to Washington, where he can put the Texas approach to work to overhaul Washington.”

The secretary of state’s office forecast about 2.3 million of the more than 13 million registered Texans would vote but several polling places indicated voters stayed away. About 1 million Texans participated in early voting and another 1 million voted Tuesday.

Many polling places reported seeing just dozens of voters out of thousands registered. At one Houston polling station, an official read an electronic book while another rolled the border of a sheet of name-tag stickers into a ball.

Anette Fay, 50, of Richardson, a German immigrant who looked forward to voting for president for the first time, was taken aback when she arrived to vote.

“I thought there would be lines,” she said.

The presidential primary topped the Texas ticket, and Romney clinched the GOP nomination with a cache of delegates collected in an overwhelming victory in Tuesday’s balloting. According to the Associated Press count, Romney surpassed the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination by winning at least 88 delegates in the Texas primary. The 152 delegates in the state are awarded in proportion to the statewide vote, and another 64 delegates were still to be decided as results rolled in.

But the GOP U.S. Senate race drew the greatest attention. Cruz’s strong showing capped what’s already a banner month for the tea party movement. Richard Mourdock ousted 36-year Senate veteran Richard Lugar in Indiana, and state Sen. Deb Fischer used strong tea party support to upset two better-known candidates in Nebraska.

Among others seeking the GOP senatorial nomination, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert conceded less than an hour after polls closed and ex-NFL running back and ESPN announcer Craig James failed to get out of single-digit percentages.

Dewhurst has overseen the Texas Senate as lieutenant governor since 2003, but Cruz claimed Dewhurst was too moderate for sometimes showing a willingness to compromise with Democratic state senators to ensure the flow of legislation.

Cruz drew support from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint and national limited-government groups including the Club For Growth — support Dewhurst dismissed as outsiders meddling in state politics.

DeMint hailed Cruz making the runoff as “a major victory for conservatives” and a result of Dewhurst’s failure “to fight for conservative principles.”

On the Democratic side, former state Rep. Paul Sadler, from Henderson in East Texas, topped a field of four and will face political unknown Grady Yarbrough of San Antonio.

Texas’ booming population meant it added four new seats in Congress, while new redistricting maps drawn by the Republican-dominated state Legislature — and a subsequent legal fight over whether they fairly represented minority voters — reshaped many existing districts.

With one exception, congressional incumbents fared well. Longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson dispensed with the first Democratic primary opponent in her two decades representing her Dallas-area district. And Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, torpedoed by Republicans in their redistricting plan, topped a field of three to take his party’s nomination in the new 35th District, which runs from Austin to San Antonio.

But Silvestre Reyes, a Democrat from El Paso who first was elected in 1996, failed to even make a runoff as he was defeated by former city councilman Beto O’Rourke, who took just over 50 percent of the vote.

Along the Gulf Coast, Randy Weber, a Pearland businessman, will face Felicia Harris, a Pearland attorney, in a Republican runoff to fill the House seat of Ron Paul, who chose not to run for re-election while focusing on his GOP presidential bid. The GOP winner will face Democrat and former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, who served four terms in the House but was defeated in 2004.

Also Tuesday, a campaign worker was shot in the leg in an apparent drive-by shooting at a South Texas polling place. The injuries were not life threatening, no suspects were identified and it wasn’t immediately clear if the shooter was targeting a specific campaign or candidate, San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez said.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Republicans hold large majorities in both the House and Senate and are all but guaranteed to stay in power in 2013, but redistricting, retirement and ambition for new office led to some blistering campaigns, particularly among some GOP colleagues.

But even in a Legislature that rolled over Democrats to cut $4 billion in education, pass a voter ID law and place more restrictions on women seeking an abortion in 2011, this year’s primary campaigns were dominated by Republicans trying to prove who among them is the most conservative.

And in several races, most notably in the House, tea party-backed challengers who pushed even farther to the right pushed several incumbents out of office.

Republican House Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio, who has spent two years fending off criticism from within the GOP that he’s not conservative enough, defeated challenger Matt Beebe but also saw three of his top lieutenants defeated by tea party challengers.

House committee chairs Reps. Rob Eissler (education), Vicki Truitt (pensions) and Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton (licensing) were defeated by challengers who criticized their ties to the speaker.

Straus also learned he’ll face a direct challenge to his leadership in 2013. Rep. Bryan Hughes of Marshall announced Tuesday he’ll run for House speaker, an office elected by the House members

“Tonight we have shown you can campaign on the power of positive ideas and not be drawn into the politics of personal destruction,” Straus said. “As Speaker of the House, I will continue to provide respectful leadership that allows all voices to be heard.”

Eissler’s defeat could also signal major changes for Texas education policy. Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, chair of the Senate education committee, did not run for re-election and Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott is resigning.

Gov. Rick Perry helped fuel the tea party flavor of the Republican primary in the Legislature campaign, wading into several House and Senate campaigns with endorsements, proving that the failed presidential candidate still holds strong influence with the Texas Republican base.

Perry endorsed Rep. James White, one of only two black Republicans in the Legislature last year, against Hamilton, who’s been in office since 2003. White defeated Hamilton despite recently released records that showed the Livingston school district gave White a warning letter about inappropriately bringing up sex in classroom discussions about government while teaching high school in 2007. Perry still chose to endorse White at a campaign event last week.

Perry also backed state Rep. Kelly Hancock over state Rep. Todd Smith and for Senate District 9 in Dallas and Tarrant Counties and Hancock rolled to an easy victory.

“I’m proud to have supported strong fiscal and social conservatives across Texas who will join me in working to support stricter limits on government spending, opposing tax increases and preserving a strong rainy day fund,” Perry said.

Perry didn’t have a golden tough in every race.

Rep. Wayne Christian of Center, one of the House’s most outspoken social conservatives who was endorsed by Perry, was defeated by former Marshall mayor Chris Paddie, who was endorsed by business groups.

And veteran Rep. Leo Berman of Tyler, another outspoken social conservative who attacked President Barack Obama’s citizenship, was defeated by challenger Matt Schaefer, who said Berman wasn’t fiscally conservative enough. Berman also has been battling cancer and chemotherapy treatments during the campaign.

But the education cuts of 2011 proved to be too much for some, particularly in rural areas. Rep. Marva Beck, R-Centerville, was defeated by Lufkin school board President Trent Ashby and Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, was forced into a runoff with challenger J.D. Sheffield.

The brass-knuckles politics also fueled some bruising Senate campaigns.

None was tougher than in District 25, which stretches from San Antonio to Austin. Nineteen-year incumbent and moderate Republican Jeff Wentworth was targeted for defeat by the powerful business lobby Texans for Lawsuit Reform and was forced into a runoff with physician and tea party candidate Donna Campbell.

The Wentworth-Campbell runoff could be seen as a major blow for TLR. The group supported former state Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones and helped direct thousands of dollars to her campaign, only to see her finish third and out of the runoff.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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With all 15 spots up for re-election this year because of redistricting, there is a possibility that the face of the board could change. And as in many other races across the state, candidates asked voters to decide how conservative the board should be.

An intense fight over evolution and intelligent design theory in science curriculum put a national spotlight on the board in 2009 when it adopted standards that encourage public schools to scrutinize “all sides” of scientific theory.

Currently, there are four Democrats and 11 Republicans on the board, with six of those Republicans considered part of the social conservative bloc. The Board of Education positions are among hundreds of races Texas voters cast ballots in during the state’s primary. The positions hold significant influence: The board has responsibility for establishing the state’s public school curriculum, approving textbooks and managing the state’s permanent school fund. In the next few years, the board is set to adopt new science and social studies textbooks.

Here’s how some of the races shaped up:

– DISTRICT 5: Incumbent Ken Mercer, a social conservative, defeated physician assistant Steve Salyer. Mercer, a software engineer from San Antonio, will face Democrat Rebecca Bell-Metereau of San Marcos in the general election on Nov. 6. “I’m a strong conservative. Mr. Salyer is a good candidate — he calls himself a moderate,” Mercer said. “In this race, in this primary, across the state, you are seeing people who are solid conservatives winning.”

– DISTRICT 14: Social conservative incumbent Gail Lowe was defeated by retired teacher Sue Melton. Lowe, elected to the state board in 2002, served as board chair from July 2009 till May 2011. She was replaced after Democrats blocked her appointment by Gov. Rick Perry. Lowe, of Lampasas, is co-publisher of a semi-weekly newspaper. There is no Democratic candidate for the spot.

– DISTRICT 9: Republican Thomas Ratliff, the son of former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff and a moderate voice on the board, defeated Randy Stevenson, a financial adviser from Tyler, who countered that in contrast to his opponent, he is “a clear consistent conservative voice.” Stevenson was part of a social conservative bloc when he served on the board from 1995 to 1999 before choosing not to run again in 1998. There is no Democratic candidate.

– DISTRICT 3: In a surprise loss, in Democrat incumbent Michael Soto, an associate professor of English at Trinity University in San Antonio, lost to Democratic challenger Marisa Perez, a San Antonio social worker. Perez will face Republican David Williams, a teacher from San Antonio, in the Nov. 6 general election.

– DISTRICT 8: Social conservative incumbent Barbara Cargill, who currently chairs the board, defeated Linda Ellis, a consultant from The Woodlands and former teacher who said on her website that she’s “watched in horror as ideologues took over” the board. Cargill, of The Woodlands, is a former teacher and founder and director of a science camp who writes on her website that she supports history curriculum that emphasizes patriotism, anti-abortion health textbooks and science textbooks that present evolution as a theory. Cargill will face Democrat Dexter Smith.

– DISTRICT 2: Middle school teacher Laurie Turner defeated high school teacher Veronica Anzaldua to face the Democratic nominee in the general election on Nov. 6. The District 2 spot from South Texas was formerly held by Democrat Mary Helen Berlanga, who is not running after 30 years on the board. The winner will face the Democratic candidate in the general election.

– DISTRICT 7: Incumbent David Bradley, one of the board’s social conservatives, defeated businesswoman Rita Ashley. Bradley works in the insurance and real estate business in Beaumont and Ashley is a former teacher from Beaumont who currently works as a jewelry designer. There is no Democratic candidate.

– RUNOFFS: In District 12, Geraldine “Tincy” Miller and Gail Spurlock advance to a runoff, resulting in the current incumbent, George M. Clayton, losing his spot. Miller, of Dallas, first began serving on the state board in 1984. She was defeated in the primary in 2010 by the Clayton, a special projects coordinator for a Dallas high school. The winner will face Democrat Lois Parrott in the general election. In District 10, Tom Maynard, of Florence, who taught high school agriculture for more than a decade, faces a run-off with Rebecca Osborne, a teacher from Austin. The winner of the run-off will face Democrat Judy Jennings in the general election.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Smitherman was appointed to the commission by Texas Gov. Rick Perry last July, replacing Michael Williams. Smitherman is running to complete Williams’ original term, which expires in 2014. He faced three challengers in the Republican primary Tuesday.

No candidate won 50 percent of the vote Tuesday. It was not yet clear who Smitherman will face in the runoff.

The Railroad Commission oversees the oil and gas industry in Texas. Despite its name, the three-member commission has no power over railroads.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst did not win enough votes Tuesday to secure the GOP nomination for the vacant U.S. Senate seat without a runoff against tea party-backed Ted Cruz. Nor did Democratic leader Paul Sadler, who will face Grady Yarbrough, a San Antonio challenger who doesn’t have a campaign website.

Dewhurst will face former Texas Solicitor General Cruz, who won about 34 percent of the vote compared to Dewhurst’s 45 percent.

Speaking at her husband’s campaign party in Houston, Tricia Dewhurst said she was “hoping to avoid a runoff, but (is) energized either way.” She said she is “inspired by David’s energy and enthusiasm.”

Former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert threw in the towel after falling behind early at about 7:30 p.m. with only 8 percent of precincts reporting. Leppert finished with 13 percent of the vote.

Sports broadcaster Craig James managed to secure just 4 percent of the vote.

After the runoff was declared, Dewhurst spoke to his supporters in Houston, saying he aimed to “stop the out of control spending from Washington” and “balance the budget just like we do here in Texas without raising taxes.”

“Tonight, we Republicans sent a message to President Obama: Stop the war on Texas,” Dewhurst said to a cheering room. “And that’s exactly what I’ll help to do as your next United States Senator.”

When Cruz took the stage moments later at his own celebratory event in Houston, he greeted supporters with, “Wow. We did it.”

“A year and a half ago there wasn’t a soul in the state of Texas that thought this was possible,” Cruz said, prompting one supporter to yell otherwise. “But I’ll tell you, tonight was a victory for conservatives.”

The runoff was reported with 38 percent of precincts reporting.

The Democratic race for that same seat also ended with a runoff. Paul Sadler, an attorney who served in the state House from 1991 to 2003, ensured his presence.

The race between his competitors was too close to call until about 10:40 p.m. Grady Yarbrough, of San Antonio, had 26 percent of the vote while his opponent Addie Allen had 23 percent with 89 percent of precincts reporting.

Allen lives in Beaumont and has a long history as a city employee. The Associated Press described Yarbrough as a “political unknown” who “has run as a Democrat and a Republican in previous elections.”

Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is retiring. She’s served as the state’s senior Senator since 1993.

Texas has not elected a Democratic candidate to that Senate seat since 1988.

CBS 11′s Jack Fink contributed to this report.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson shortly after successfully defending her post as District 30′s representative. (Credit: Bud Gillett)

Last updated: 9: 14 p.m.

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) –  Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate for the White House while longtime U.S. Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson and Joe Barton cruised to victory in their North Texas districts, early voting returns from the state primary show.

Going into the Texas Primary Tuesday, Romney held a commanding delegate lead over Ron Paul. CBS News projections show his early dominance at the polls will shoot him well past the 1144 delegates needed to secure his nomination.

The former Massachusetts governor was leading Paul, who ceased campaigning earlier this month, with 71 percent of the vote.

Romney released the statement below on becoming the GOP candidate for President about an hour before the polls closed:

“I am honored that Americans across the country have given their support to my candidacy and I am humbled to have won enough delegates to become the Republican Party’s 2012 presidential nominee. Our party has come together with the goal of putting the failures of the last three and a half years behind us. I have no illusions about the difficulties of the task before us. But whatever challenges lie ahead, we will settle for nothing less than getting America back on the path to full employment and prosperity. On November 6, I am confident that we will unite as a country and begin the hard work of fulfilling the American promise and restoring our country to greatness.”

President Barack Obama will defend his incumbency against Romney.

U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson found herself up by enough votes that the Associated Press called the District 30 race in her favor at about 7:30 p.m.

Johnson topped State Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway, who is also married to Dallas Councilman Dwaine Caraway, with 71 percent of the vote compared to her challenger’s 18 percent. Taj Clayton secured just 12 percent of the vote in that race.

Johnson has served as District 30’s U.S. representative since 1992.

“I’ve never tried to do anything else but to work, and I think (the voters) see the results,” Johnson told CBS 11’s Bud Gillett.

With 23 of 249 precincts reporting, Barton, who has been in Congress since 1985, eased past challenger Joe Chow by about 9,000 votes –– 64 percent to 19 percent. The Associated Press called his race at about 8:30 p.m.

9:14 p.m.: U.S. Rep. Kenny Marchant, who represents the 24th Congressional District located between Dallas and Fort Worth, won his primary. He’s seerved since 2005.

HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM) – It’s very early, but this is shaping up to be a very close race for the Republican Senate primary in one of the most conservative counties in North Texas.

As early votes are being tallied, it’s almost a three way tie in Collin County between Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz and former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.

Yes, it’s only one of 203 precincts, but it could be an early indication of how the night will go –– at least in North Texas. Dewhurst has 8,226 votes or 32 percent.

Cruz has 7,956 votes or 31 percent, and Leppert has 7,359 votes or 29 percent.

It’s also close in Denton County. Again, it’s only one of 146 precincts, but it shows it’s close.

Dewhurst: 5,984 votes or 33 percent. Leppert: 5,380 votes or 30 percent and Cruz:  5,205 votes or 29 percent.
And in Tarrant County, similar results.

Dewhurst leads with 14,123 votes or 36 percent so far. Cruz is in second with 11,763 votes or 30 percent, and Leppert is close behind with 11,200 votes with 28 percent.

Again, it’s early.

These results are for one of the county’s 676 precincts. Dallas County results haven’t shown up yet.

Statewide, the numbers are different. With less than 1 percent of the precincts reporting: Leppert trails with 15 percent of the vote. Dewhurst has 48 percent and Cruz has 28 percent.

For now, it appears Leppert’s strength in North Texas is hurting Dewhurst and could keep him from the more than 50 percent needed to win this out-right.

The polls are open until 7:00 p.m. Tuesday.

Republican U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is not seeking another term.

Nine candidates are squaring off for the GOP nomination. If nobody wins a majority in Tuesday’s primary, a runoff will be held July 31 between the top two finishers. Two Democrats are seeking Hutchison’s seat.

The general election is Nov. 6.

Early voting ended Friday.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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While Romney’s nomination has been virtually assured for a month, the day marks the culmination of several years of work, dating back to his unsuccessful 2008 effort, and perhaps far earlier.

“It’ll be a big day tomorrow,” Romney told reporters aboard his campaign plane Monday evening. “I’m looking forward to the good news.”

But Romney’s focus Tuesday will be hundreds of miles north of Texas, where he’s scheduled to court voters and donors in Colorado and Nevada during a two-state swing punctuated by a Las Vegas fundraiser with conservative businessman Donald Trump.

The evening event, set for the Trump International Hotel, comes amidst fresh criticism from Republicans and Democrats over Trump’s continued questioning of Obama’s citizenship. Romney hasn’t condemned Trump’s false claims, offering a fresh example of the presidential contender’s reluctance to confront his party’s more extreme elements. There have been other examples in recent weeks that underscore Romney’s delicate push to win over skeptical conservatives while appealing to moderates and independents who generally deliver general election victories.

Asked Monday to weigh in on Trump’s support for the so-called birther movement, Romney declined to condemn Trump’s latest suggestion that Obama was born in Kenya.

“I don’t agree with all the people who support me. And my guess is they don’t all agree with everything I believe in,” Romney told reporters before flying from California to Colorado Monday evening. “But I need to get 50.1 percent or more. And I’m appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people.”

Polling suggests that the election between Romney and Obama will be very close, ultimately decided by several swing states, Colorado and Nevada among them. Romney will begin campaigning Tuesday in the northern Colorado town of Craig before flying to Las Vegas for an afternoon rally before the Trump fundraiser.

The Texas primary offers 152 delegates; Romney is just 58 delegates shy of the 1,144 needed to become the nominee. His Republican rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich already have endorsed Romney, while Texas Rep. Ron Paul has stopped actively campaigning. Gingrich is expected to attend the Trump fundraiser.

Under similar circumstances last week, Romney swept all the delegates in GOP primaries in Kentucky and Arkansas and picked up more endorsements from party leaders.

But Romney’s meeting with Trump may generate as much interest, or more, than his tightened grasp on the Republican nomination.

“I do not understand the cost benefit here,” conservative commentator George Will said over the weekend. “The cost of appearing with this bloviating ignoramus is obvious, it seems to me.”

“Donald Trump is redundant evidence that if your net worth is high enough, your IQ can be very low and you can still intrude into American politics,” Will continued. “Again, I don’t understand the benefit. What is Romney seeking?”

Trump revived the false claims about Obama’s birthplace late last week, citing a discredited story about a literary agency that mistakenly listed that Obama was born in Kenya.

While Romney briefly addressed the issue Monday, his senior aide Eric Fehrnstrom also declined to condemn Trump’s remarks in a recent interview.

“I can’t speak for Donald Trump … but I can tell you that Mitt Romney accepts that President Obama was born in the United States,” Fehrnstrom said. “He doesn’t view the place of his birth as an issue in this campaign.”

Romney has been criticized on several occasions for failing to speak out against extreme rhetoric from his party. The reluctance stands in contrast to the 2008 GOP presidential nominee and current Romney supporter, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who once corrected a supporter who called Obama a Muslim.

And on Tuesday, Obama’s re-election campaign surfaced a new television commercial directly accusing Romney of failing to stand up to “the voices of extremism” in his party.

The ad takes the former Massachusetts governor to task for failing to speak out against real estate mogul Donald Trump, a supporter who has consistently charged that Obama is not a U.S. citizen. It opens by showing 2008 nominee John McCain brushing aside a woman who raised the citizenship issue at a town hall-style meeting, and the commercial asks the viewer, “Why won’t Mitt Romney do the same?”

Campaigning in Cleveland earlier in the month, Romney did not initially respond to a supporter who suggested that Obama should be tried for treason. He said after the rally that he didn’t agree.

He was also slow to condemn conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who said a college student defending Obama’s contraception policy was “a slut.” At the time, Romney initially declined to weigh in on the issue before saying “it’s not the language” he would have used.

And he was initially silent on violent rhetoric from classic rocker Ted Nugent before a spokeswoman said Romney “believes everyone needs to be civil.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Republicans hold large majorities in both the House and Senate and will most likely still be in power in 2013, but redistricting, retirement and ambition for new office have led to some blistering campaigns, particularly in among some GOP colleagues.

Several long-time Republicans find themselves locked in vicious campaigns, including a few incumbent House members who were forced to run against each other when new election maps were drawn in 2011.

Even in a Legislature that rolled over Democrats to cut $4 billion in education, passed a voter ID law and placed more restrictions on women seeking an abortion in 2011, this year’s primary campaigns have been dominated by Republicans trying to prove who among them is the most conservative.

The tea party movement that pushed House Republicans to a 101-49 super-majority in that chamber is again engaged in several key races across the state. The education cuts of 2011 have also been target for challengers who say conservatives cut too deep.

One of the nastiest races has been in Senate District 25, which stretches from San Antonio to Austin, where 19-year incumbent Jeff Wentworth has drawn a tough challenge from former state Railroad Commission Elizabeth Ames Jones. Wentworth has been targeted for defeat by the powerful business lobby Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

In the House, Gov. Rick Perry recently waded into the fight between two East Texas incumbents battling for a new district. Perry endorsed Rep. James White, one of only two black Republicans in the Legislature last year, against Rep. Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton, who’s been in office since 2003.

Hamilton recently released records that showed the Livingston school district gave White a warning letter about holding inappropriate sexual discussions while teaching high school in 2007. Perry still chose to endorse White at a campaign event last week.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Nine candidates are squaring off for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat that currently belongs to Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is retiring. If nobody wins a majority in Tuesday’s primary, a runoff will be held July 31 between the top two finishers.

Despite that clash headlining a primary that also includes numerous congressional and legislative races, turnout appeared to be low early Tuesday as sweltering heat, confusion over the primary date and Memorial Day weekend travels kept voters away.

Tom Bass, 85, in Houston said he never misses the chance to vote and blamed the lack of voters early Tuesday on redistricting disputes, which have twice pushed back the primary from March.

“People get in the habit, and the change of the date is a change in habit,” Bass said.

One polling place in Lubbock reported that as of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, just 75 people out of 4,800 registered voters had shown up at an elementary school to cast ballots. It wasn’t clear how many had voted early. At one Houston polling station, an official read an electronic book while another rolled the border of a sheet of name-tag stickers into a ball.

In the Senate race, a victory by fiery attorney and former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz over long-serving Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Republican primary would cap what already is a banner month for the tea party movement. Richard Mourdock ousted 36-year Senate veteran Richard Lugar in Indiana, and state Sen. Deb Fischer, an insurgent candidate who also drew strong tea party support, upset two better-known candidates in Nebraska.

Also vying for the GOP senatorial nomination is former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, who bills himself as a businessman and less-bombastic darling of fiscal conservatives. Among the others seeking the seat is ex-NFL running back and ESPN announcer Craig James, who has struggled to gain traction in the race.

Texas’ booming population meant it added four new seats in Congress, while new redistricting maps drawn by the Republican-dominated state Legislature — and a subsequent legal fight over whether they fairly represented minority voters — reshaped many existing districts.

Dewhurst is thought to be the front-runner, having overseen the Texas Senate as lieutenant governor since 2003, and drawing an endorsement from Gov. Rick Perry. But Cruz claims Dewhurst is too moderate since he was sometimes willing to compromise with Democratic state senators to ensure the flow of legislation.

Cruz has drawn support from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint and national limited-government groups including the Club For Growth — support Dewhurst dismisses as outsiders meddling in state politics.

On the Democratic side, former state Rep. Paul Sadler is facing political newcomer Sean Hubbard.

Rich Parsons, a spokesman at the secretary of state’s office, said more than 13 million Texans had registered to vote, though many election workers spent the early part of the day killing time. Outside Garza-Pena Elementary in San Juan campaign workers holding signs outnumbered voters early Tuesday morning. The day was still tolerable though there were warnings on the radio that people should stay inside because the heat index was expected to reach 107 degrees.

In Euless, a suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth, Nona Batiste, a 65-year-old retired teacher, said the change in date could not deter her from voting.

“It was important to just be here,” Batiste said. “Because this is my only voice.”

Jose Blanco, a 44-year-old engineer in Plano, who wanted to cast his ballot for Cruz, said he kept being bounced from one polling station to another — including his usual venue — and was told to go to a school he doesn’t know.

“I’m frustrated. I’m trying to do the right thing. I want to vote,” Blanco said. “I might just give up. This is my third place.”

In another closely watched race, longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson was trying to fend off the first Democratic primary challenge in her two decades representing the North Texas district in Congress. Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett also faced a challenge in a new district, which runs from Austin to San Antonio.

And along the Gulf Coast, a runoff was likely in the Republican race to fill the House seat of Ron Paul, who chose not to run for re-election while focusing on his GOP presidential bid. The GOP winner is likely to face Democrat and former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, who served four terms in the House but was defeated in 2004.

Most polls across Texas were set to close at 7 p.m. Among those who showed up was Ana Maria Serrano, an immigrant from Mexico, who said she has voted since becoming a U.S. citizen because she feels it’s her duty. Still, she believes that, other than fulfilling her civic duties, voting does not change much.

“With candidates it’s like when you marry, your boyfriend promises and promises but once he marries you, he forgets all about those promises,” she said.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Republican Thomas Ratliff ran for the Texas State Board of Education two years ago because he wanted to change the emphasis from politics to education. Now, the lobbyist from Mount Pleasant says the choice for voters in East Texas’ District 9 in Tuesday’s Republican primary is “whether they want to go back to what we had before, which is a lot of talk about politics and not a lot of talk about education.”

Ratliff, the son of former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff and a moderate voice on the board, faces Randy Stevenson, a financial adviser from Tyler, who counters that in contrast to his opponent, he is “a clear consistent conservative voice.” Stevenson was part of a social conservative bloc when he served on the board from 1995 to 1999 before choosing not to run again in 1998.

Currently, there are four Democrats and 11 Republicans on the board, with six of those Republicans considered part of the social conservative bloc. The Board of Education positions are among hundreds of races Texas voters will cast ballots in Tuesday during the state’s primary. The positions hold significant influence: The board has responsibility for establishing the state’s public school curriculum, approving textbooks and managing the state’s permanent school fund. In the next few years, the board is set to adopt new science and social studies textbooks.

An intense fight over evolution and intelligent design theory in science curriculum put a national spotlight on the board in 2009 when it adopted standards that encourage public schools to scrutinize “all sides” of scientific theory.

“There is a unique opportunity this year for voters to change the face of public education in Texas,” said Dan Quinn, communications director for the Texas Freedom Network, a watchdog of the far right.

In other notable races in the Republican primary:

– For the District 8 spot in southeastern Texas, social conservative incumbent Barbara Cargill, who currently chairs the board, faces Linda Ellis, a consultant from The Woodlands and former teacher who has said on her website that she’s “watched in horror as ideologues took over” the board. Cargill, of The Woodlands, is a former teacher and founder and director of a science camp who writes on her website that she supports history curriculum that emphasizes patriotism, anti-abortion health textbooks and science textbooks that present evolution as a theory.

– For the District 7 spot in southeastern Texas, incumbent David Bradley, one of the board’s social conservatives, faces a challenge by businesswoman Rita Ashley. Bradley works in the insurance and real estate business in Beaumont and Ashley is a former teacher from Beaumont who currently works as a jewelry designer.

– For the District 15 spot that includes the Panhandle and parts of West Texas, consultant Anette Carlisle of Amarillo faces attorney Marty Rowley of Amarillo. They are vying for the spot now filled by Bob Craig, who is not seeking re-election.

– For the District 12 spot that includes Collin County and parts of Dallas County, incumbent George Clayton faces three challengers, including Geraldine “Tincy” Miller, whom he defeated in the 2010 primary to assume the post. Clayton is the special projects coordinator for a Dallas high school. Miller is vice chairman of a Dallas commercial real estate company. Also running for the post are consultant Gail Spurlock of Richardson and business owner Pam Little of Fairview.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The final hours before the Republican primary has establishment conservative Lt. Governor David Dewhurst battling it out against Tea Party conservative and former State Solicitor General Ted Cruz for the right to run on the GOP‘s November ticket for U.S. Senate.

Cruz is hoping support from the Tea Party Express will drive him into a runoff with Dewhurst. ”This is a major test for the Tea Party. This is a test for the proposition can the establishment write an enormous check, can the lobbyists pour so much money behind David Dewhurst that he buys the race? I don’t think he can,” he told reporters Monday in Richardson.

Dewhurst says those from outside Texas are trying to buy the race for Cruz.

When asked about the Tea Party vs. Establishment dynamic in the race, Dewhurst said he’s been a Tea Partier all along. “I’ve been a Tea Party believer since before the Tea Party was formed when you look at the tenets and the principles of the Tea Party, that the federal government spends too much money, that we need to cut spending, we need to cut taxes.”

Political analyst John Weekley says because Dewhurst is regarded as a conservative, and because Texas has fared better economically than most other states, it will be an uphill battle to beat Dewhurst.   “David Dewhurst has been in the Lt. Governor’s position for so long that he might as well be an incumbent. Statewide name I.D. He’s been in government for a long time.  He hasn’t done anything terribly wrong that upsets a lot of voters.”

Dewhurst is trying to avoid a runoff by spending millions of dollars of his own money to run negative ads against Cruz and former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.

If there is a runoff between Dewhurst and Cruz, both Weekley and Collin County Republican Party chairman Fred Moses say Tea Party members could make a difference because they are very active in politics.

“They’ve been more committed to their candidates, and if they’re committed to their candidates, then they will go out to the polls.” says Moses.  But, he adds, it’s too early to discount Leppert, who has strong support in North Texas.

Meanwhile, Democrats also have a primary in the senate race.  Former state representative Paul Sadler is competing against Sean Hubbard, a political newcomer.  But Republicans are considered heavy favorites to retain the seat being vacated by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

The latest polls show Dewhurst leading Cruz anywhere from 9 to 17 points.  Leppert is in third place, and former broadcaster Craig James in fourth.

The key question remains, will there be a run-off?  Those same polls show it’s very likely.

Texas is one of the worst states in the nation for voter turnout, and not much is being done to fix it.

Candidates get the courage to run. They put their names on every road, desperate for every vote. They have to – even with 26 million people in the state, there aren’t that many votes.

A state with a rich history of revolution and independence is now mostly indifferent.

In the 2006 general election, Texas ranked 48th among states for voter turnout.  In the presidential election of 2008, 47th.  In 2010, Texas was dead last.

Last May, only 1 in 10 voters cast a ballot in mayoral elections in both Dallas and Fort Worth.

University of North Texas political science professor Philip Paolino says much of the blame lies with many Texans being of one mind/one party.  “The actual getting people to vote, getting them, encouraging them to go to the polls, ends up with the parties.”

If there’s no competition, Paolino says, there’s no need to get voters to the polls.  “The one party problem is big.”

Experts say Texas’ requirement to be registered a full month in advance to vote, and the sheer number of elections, could also be contributing to low turnout.

Tarrant County elections supervisor Steve Raybon says most counties try to make voting convenient.  Early voting goes on for weeks.  Local elections are on weekends.

He says counties can’t afford much outreach though.  “In Texas, we generally leave it up to the candidates, the parties to motivate their base, to motivate their voters to get out. and it’s the job of election officials to make it convenient.”

Parties often don’t want to push voters too much, especially during primaries, to avoid appearing to favor one candidate over another. In Richardson Monday, however, the Tea Party filled a bus with phone bank volunteers calling voters for Senate candidate Ted Cruz.

Cruz, who later joined the volunteers said he has seen grass roots excitement among voters. He admitted though it could be difficult to motivate people following a holiday weekend.

“The people who are going to come out are those who are motivated, those who are energized,” Cruz said.

In Fort Worth, longtime Texas House member Lon Burnham was walking door to door trying to find voters who hadn’t cast a ballot yet. Burnam said he was finding a general disinterest among voters, and far less interest than during the presidential campaign of 2008.

The Memorial Day holiday though is something he said he wished encouraged more people to get to the polls.

“One of the thing people fought and died for against both external foreign enemies and here in this country, people fought and died for the right to vote.”

The counties still have to spend money, just in case voters do show up.  The May 12 elections cost Tarrant County roughly $600,000.

A victory by Ted Cruz over long-serving Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in Tuesday’s Republican primary would cap what has already been a banner month for the tea party movement. Richard Mourdock ousted 36-year Senate veteran Richard Lugar in Indiana, and state Sen. Deb Fischer upset two better-known candidates in Nebraska.

Opinion polls show Dewhurst ahead in the GOP primary to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, but Cruz, an attorney and former state solicitor general appears to be gaining. And, with ex-Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and former NFL running back and EPSN announcer Craig James also in the race, no candidate may win a majority.

That would mean a July 31 runoff between the top two finishers — a second-round Cruz says he’ll win since those Republicans most-energized by his populist message are likely to turnout in droves amid the late-summer doldrums.

“This race is ground zero in the fight between the moderate establishment and the conservative tidal wave sweeping the country,” said Cruz spokesman James Bernsen.

But Dewhurst, who has made millions with his energy companies, dismisses national tea party groups that have spent heavily on advertising branding him as too moderate. While Cruz has won endorsements from former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, Dewhurst is backed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

“It’s a race between a Texas conservative businessman and a lawyer who’s funded by D.C. special interests,” said Matt Hirsch, a spokesman for Dewhurst, referring to limited government groups that support Cruz, such as the Washington-based Club For Growth.

Two weeks of early voting produced a strong showing, with nearly 7 percent of registered voters casting ballots. What remains to be seen, however, is whether early voting increased because more Texans had planned to be out of town for a regular election so close to Memorial Day.

On the Democratic side for the U.S. Senate, former state Rep. Paul Sadler is facing political newcomer Sean Hubbard. However, in heavily Republican Texas, whoever wins the GOP primary is expected to prevail in November.

While the Senate race has generated the most national attention, the state has 170 other major competitive races — including four new congressional seats Texas gained due to its booming population.

In Dallas, Democratic U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson has been an outspoken voice for two decades as the first black woman to represent North Texas in Congress. But she faces a serious primary challenge from a pair of younger hopefuls.

Along the Gulf Coast, a runoff is likely with nine Republicans vying for the GOP nomination to fill the House seat of Ron Paul, who chose not to run for Congress as he focused on presidential bid.

A runoff may also be coming in the heavily Democratic 33rd Congressional District, where state Rep. Marc Veasey and 10 other Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination with voters in much of west Dallas and south Fort Worth, along with parts of Irving, Grand Prairie and Arlington.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett is facing primary challenger and former state lawmaker Sylvia Romo in a new district which runs from Austin to San Antonio. Doggett’s old Central Texas congressional district was redrawn to become heavily Republican — and the top two GOP primary contenders there have the same last name: Former Texas Secretary of State and Republican activist Roger Williams and Former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams.

State Sen. Mike Jackson is perhaps the best known of 12 Republicans scrambling for the GOP nomination in East Texas’ new congressional district, while a new congressional district in the Lower Rio Grande Valley is thought to be heavily Democratic. Eight Democrats are running — including Brownsville District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was recently arrested on federal fraud charges.

In a redrawn district including Corpus Christi, U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold faces three Republican challengers, and four Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination, including Ronnie McDonald, a county judge who was a public face of the devastating wildfires that ravaged the Bastrop area last year.

One of the nastiest races in the Texas Legislature has pitted 19-year incumbent Republican Sen. Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio against former state Railroad Commission Elizabeth Ames Jones. Wentworth has been targeted by the powerful business lobby Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

In the state House, the governor has waded into the fight between two East Texas incumbents battling for a new district. Perry endorsed Rep. James White, one of only two black Republicans in the Legislature last year, against Rep. Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton. Hamilton recently released records that showed the Livingston school district gave White a warning letter about holding inappropriate sexual discussions while teaching high school in 2007.

There are two crowded primary races for seats on the Railroad Commission of Texas, and all 15 seats on the State Board of Education are the ballot this year — though only seven of look to be competitive. Of those, all but one should effectively be deiced by Tuesday’s primary vote.

Three members of the all-Republican state Supreme Court are up for re-election, but only two — Don Willett and David Medina — are facing primary challenges. Their opponents claim the court has become too influenced by a pro-business agenda.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – At nearly 40 feet long, the recreational vehicle that usually parks in the driveway in front of the Wylie family’s Preston Hollow home is clearly bigger than the average car in the driveway.

Several city code enforcement officers have even believed it to be illegal, but their efforts usually didn’t pay off.  “We’ve gone to court, four or five times, and won every time,” Mary Wylie said Friday.

The tickets have kept coming though. With her husband Bob now in the hospital, unable to fight the citations,

Mary is wondering why the city is still pursuing the issue.  “I want it to go away so we can enjoy that motorhome and it’s not going to be a whole lot longer time, a few years more, til he gets where he cannot go anymore,” she said.

The Wylie’s bought the RV so Bob had a way to leave the house for more than a day at a time. Due to injuries from Agent Orange in Vietnam, he needs dialysis. “And he can travel in that motorhome because he can do that dialysis in it,” Mary said.

After neighbor complaints, code enforcement officers started ticketing the Wylie’s for having an oversize vehicle parked at the house. Generally, the code they prohibits storing items outside in front of the house. Rv’s over 32 feet in length though, are not allowed. It provides exceptions for things like cars in driveways, landscaping and lawn furniture.

However, the code also exempts RV’s from the storage rule if it can’t be reasonably placed in the backyard. The Wylies backyard has a city drainage running through it, making it inaccessible to any vehicle. The code also offers exemptions for vehicles displaying registration for a disabled person. The RV has a disabled veteran license plate. County property tax records also recognize that Wylie is a fully disabled veteran.

The last citation in November though, a judge ruled against Wylie and ordered him to pay $1,000 fine and court costs. He is appealing the decision.

A city spokesman wasn’t able to immediately explain why the city kept pursuing the code violations after so many had been dismissed. In an email, Chief Prosecutor Frederick Williams simply acknowledged that Wylie was found guilty at trial.

Mary Wylie said the issue is causing undue stress on her husband, at a time when he needs strength to recover from a stroke suffered last week.

“I want it to go away so we can enjoy that motorhome,” she said. “And it’s not going to be a whole lot longer time, a few years more, til he gets where he cannot go anymore.”

The Wylie’s have also hired an attorney to try to convince neighbors to stop requesting that code enforcement issue tickets to the family.

A customer leaves a Pizza Patron in Houston. (Photo by Dave Einsel/Getty Images)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The controversy surrounding a Dallas-based pizza chain’s plan to offer free pizza to anyone who ordered in Spanish has been strong, but even the company has been surprised at the lengths people have gone to express their displeasure.

In a released emailed to CBSDFW Friday, Dallas-based Pizza Patron said the announcement of their June 5 ‘Pizza Por Favor‘ campaign resulted in worldwide calls of both support and opposition, but company president Guillermo Estrada said the company was “surprised by the extent of the reaction.”

The chain also says they were the victim of hackers following the flurry of news reports about the promotion, and were forced to shut down some website operations until they could resolve the issues.

In the release, Pizza Patron directly mentioned an article posted Tuesday on CBSDFW.com addressing the ‘Pizza Por Favor’ campaign, pointing to the thousands of comments the story generated.

MORE: Dallas Pizza Chain Giving Free Pizza For Ordering In Spanish

The pizza chain released an official statement in the release, which it called responding to ‘campaign ire.’

“This campaign and others that we have planned for this year are focused on celebrating the Hispanic culture. This has been Pizza Patrón’s brand focus for over 26 years.

All of our campaigns and promotions are extended to all people, regardless of ethnicity, language, or political persuasion, to join us in enjoying a slice of the Latino lifestyle.

For this ‘PIZZA POR FAVOR™’ campaign, our customer service staff has been trained to coach customers in how to say a few words of Spanish to receive a delicious large pepperoni pizza for free.

We are not a political company, but respect the opinions of Americans on all sides of today’s issues.

We ask that all complaints or comments be directed to the corporate office at 972-613-8000 or our Facebook fan page so the employees at each store can concentrate on providing great food and service to their customers.”

MORE: Pizza Patron Facebook Fan Page

Pizza Patron still plans to carry on the June 5 promotion.  The company previously confirmed to CBSDFW.com many franchise stores will have extra security during the 3-hour promotion, but have reiterated the need will be for crowd control, and not due to any specific threats of violence.

Pizza Patron is no stranger to controversy.  They first made international news in 2007 when they announced they would become the first pizza chain to accept Mexican Pesos at all of their stores.

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -  The Memorial Day holiday not only signals the unofficial beginning of summer, it means an uptick in traffic at the Dallas Farmers Market.

“It’s fresh food, it’s fresh vegetables and fruits and it’s a lot cheaper and you save money and, I mean, everyone is polite,” says shopper Ryan Scott.

The market, though, is at a crossroads as the city of Dallas weighs whether to privatize it.  While shoppers are enthusiastic, day-to-day there are not nearly enough of them. Vendors and small businesses say the city-owned market is too short on commitment and too long on cumbersome rules.

“I have to have a “plan B” because I’m not sure of anything,” says Paul Gray of Paul’s Fresh Produce.  “One day it’s this, one day it’s that.  I mean, it’s just a nightmare here.”  Jim Ingenfor agrees.  ”The city can’t be spontaneous,” he says.  ”What takes the city six months to a year to accomplish, private business can do overnight.”

Which is why the city is considering privatizing the market, much as it has successfully done with the Dallas Zoo. Right now two bidders have submitted formal proposals on how they’d run the market. It’s a secret process so the city can get the best deal.

“We want someone to come in that is able to make decisions,” says Tanya Ragan of the Dallas Farmers Market Stakeholders Association, “to come in and in 60-90 days says, ‘We’re going to paint this, we’re going to clean this.’”

But stakeholders also say solutions must embrace more than just produce vending.

There are neighbors to deal with: new residential housing is springing up, and dealing with the overflow from The Bridge and other agencies for the homeless is a challenge.  “We still have issues with homeless going into the market area, panhandling people, harrassing people,” claims Ingendorf.

But folks at the market are hopeful the challenges can be met with profesional leadership.  Paul Gray says, “The market is just a great asset to Dallas — if we just get the right people to run it and make it a go-to place for families.”

It’s hoped the winning bid will be revealed by August and perhaps have new management in place by the first of next year.

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - There is a one-of-a-kind political race happening in Tarrant County. Two candidates are vying for the County Commissioner’s Precinct 1 seat. Both are focusing on the issues. The campaign signs are different. But the biggest issue here might turn out to be the names of the two candidates — which are virtually the same.

The political race pits Roy Brooks versus Roy Brooks.

Roy Laverne Brooks, who was named after her dad, is trying to unseat Roy Charles Brooks, who is seeking his third four-year term. Roy L. does not see what the fuss is all about. “For me, it has really been a surprise,” she said. “My supporters know who I am.”

The incumbent feels the same way. “The people of Precinct 1 know me,” he said. “They know my record. They know where I stood in the issues.”

But because their first AND last names are the both same, the state ruled that middle names must also appear on the ballot. “I have never faced a situation like this before,” Roy C. said, “and I’m not sure anyone else in America has either.”

Roy C. and Roy L. are downplaying the buzz about the names. Instead, they are trying to keep focus on the issues in the district. “I want to talk about how to continue to provide health care to the people of Precinct 1 who desperately need it,” said Roy C.

“When crime increases, you have a community that starts to go down,” said Roy L. “It also affects the households.”

Needless to say, the two Roys are not worried about voter confusion. “Any publicity is good,” said Roy L. “By now, they definitely know who we are.”

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In this distinctly Texas episode in the saga for control of the Senate, David Dewhurst is the reserved, self-made millionaire and lieutenant governor facing off against Ted Cruz, the feisty son of a Cuban exile who calls himself “a proven fighter for liberty because his family knows what it means to lose it.”

The underdog is former Dallas mayor and businessman Tom Leppert, who offers himself as the no-nonsense alternative to politics as usual.

In heavily Republican Texas, whoever wins the GOP primary on Tuesday is almost sure to replace retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Cruz and Leppert acknowledge that Dewhurst is more familiar with voters and has more cash — he’s spent $9.2 million of his $200 million fortune on the primary. But both hope to force a runoff, and if one succeeds, the runner-up could win in July. While there have been no reliable, independent polls in the nine-candidate race, those released by partisans show Dewhurst on the cusp of getting the 50 percent-plus-one he needs to avoid a runoff, with Cruz in second place.

Conservative groups that complain many Senate Republicans now in office are too quick to compromise have spent more than $4 million trying to help Cruz. The benefactors include South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund, the anti-tax Club for Growth and former Texas Rep. Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks.

Similar Senate primary battles are taking place in Wisconsin, where tea party favorite Mark Neuman is running against former Gov. Tommy Thompson, and in Arizona, where six-term Rep. Jeff Flake is being challenged by Wil Cardon, who also casts himself as a tea party candidate.

Cruz is drawing comparisons between Texas and Indiana, where state Treasurer Richard Mourdock defeated incumbent Sen. Richard Lugar in the Republican primary. Leppert looks for inspiration from Nebraska, where Deb Fischer, a state legislator, rose up from third place to become the GOP’s Senate nominee there.

Cruz, 41, made his name representing Texas before the Supreme Court in high-profile cases. He has endorsements from former GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in addition to several tea party groups.

Dewhurst, 66, has the backing of Gov. Rick Perry and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as well as support from the state’s most influential Republican clubs, anti-abortion organizations and political action committees.

There are few significant policy differences between the top three candidates: All oppose abortion rights, amnesty for illegal immigrants and tax increases of any kind. That has forced their campaigns to focus on personality and records with often harsh attack ads.

Tall, reserved and impeccably dressed, Dewhurst was raised by a single mother after his father was killed by a drunken driver. He served in the Air Force and as a CIA officer in Bolivia before returning to Houston, where he started a natural gas business and made his fortune.

Cruz’s father fought against Cuba’s Batista regime in the late 1950s before getting a student visa to attend the University of Texas. Cruz was born in Alberta, Canada, where his dad worked in the oil fields before moving back to Houston. A champion debater, Cruz attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School and has spent most of his career in politically appointed positions in the Bush administration or working for the Texas attorney general.

Leppert, 57, has been CEO of several companies, including the Turner Corp., the nation’s largest construction company. He ran for Dallas mayor as a reformer and balanced the city’s budget.

The competition between Dewhurst and Cruz turned ugly early. Each has spent more than $4 million on TV and radio attack ads.

Dewhurst has derided Cruz as a trial lawyer even though Cruz has specialized in handling appeals. His campaign also pilloried Cruz for representing a Chinese tire company appealing a $26 million judgment that it had stolen intellectual property from a U.S. company. Cruz replied he was only doing his job as an attorney for an international law firm.

Cruz, meanwhile, attacks Dewhurst as a “timid, moderate politician” who too often has compromised with Democrats.

“Enough of these little kitty cats we keep sending to Washington,” Cruz said. “David Dewhurst will compromise every day in the U.S. Senate. … It’s what he’s done every day in state government.”

Boasting about his experience as a top business executive, Leppert calls Dewhurst a career politician and Cruz a government staffer. Dewhurst says Leppert’s record as Dallas mayor is too liberal for Texas Republicans.

Whoever wins the GOP nomination will face one of two Democrats, former state Rep. Paul Sadler and party activist Sean Hubbard. No Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Nestled just northeast of downtown Fort Worth, the Oakhurst neighborhood is known for its beauty.

It’s one reason the Walters family decided to buy a house in the area.  “I love the trees and the backyard,” says Cyndy Walters “I just wish we owned all of it.”

The Walters bought their home in 2000.  Before they closed they were told the City of Fort Worth owns part of the backyard, but that they could buy it if they wanted.

“Where the power lines are, the land on one side is ours and on the other side it’s the city’s,” points out Walters. “They own the green house, half of the yard, about 1/3 of the pool.”

In 2006 the family decided to pay the city for its portion of their property, which was close to $4,500.  Right afterwards everything was halted when they were told their neighborhood association would fight the property battle.  “I’m still trying to get the backyard.  We paid for it,” says Walters

A spokesperson with the city of Fort Worth says that the process to turn over the rest of the yard was never fully completed and plans were never approved by the city.

The Walters say they’re tired of being in limbo and just either want the rest of the property or their money back.  “If and when we ever decide to sell they’ll come to the same problem we did and it will be probably put a halt on the sale because somebody is not going to want half of a backyard.”

A spokesperson with the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association says the association’s concern has been protecting the green space.

The Walters say they don’t plan to change the space at all.  They insist that’s why they fell in love with the property and wouldn’t change a thing.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas area Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson says she’s confident she’ll win an 11th term, even though she faces two Democrats in the primary for her 30th District seat: State Representative Barbara Mallory Caraway of Dallas and attorney Taj Clayton.

I asked her how concerned she is there may be a runoff. Congresswoman Johnson said, “If there’s a run-off, I’ve done that before.”

But that’s when she was a state legislator, not a U.S. Congresswoman.

Two years ago, Johnson was found to have awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships to family members and one of her aide’s children – a violation of the rules of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Johnson paid the money back.

Fink: Do you believe this is going to hurt you now?

Johnson: “We’ll know next Tuesday night.”

Fink: But are you worried that it will?

Johnson: “I’m not worried.”

Fink: Why not?

Johnson: “Because the people know me. It’s nothing that I’m proud about, but it’s nothing that I’ve done that I feel did not go uncorrected.”

Because of the scholarship scandal, those who’ve watched this race closely believe this is the toughest fight Johnson has faced yet.

Robert Ashley hosts a daily call-in show on Dallas radio station Heaven 97.

Ashley said, “The Congresswoman has never run with a scholarship cloud over her head before. We would not be surprised with a run-off.”

Ashley says State Representative Mallory Caraway has a history of beating incumbents.

Mallory Caraway says “The response I’ve been getting has been tremendous.”

Mallory Caraway has faced her own negative headlines.

Last year, a domestic disturbance with her husband, Dallas city councilman Dwaine Caraway, went public.  He told police she brandished a knife at him.

I asked her if she thought the incident would hurt her politically.

Mallory Caraway says, “What Barbara Mallory Caraway is doing is going door to door telling the voters about how I can best serve them in Congress.”

Attorney Taj Clayton says he’s also received a lot of support.

Clayton says, “I’m not running against Eddie Bernice Johnson. I respect her service, but people are ready for new leadership. If they want new results, they recognize we need new leadership.”

Clayton says his campaign won’t be out-worked, and has focused much of their efforts on an area surrounded by U.S. Highway 67, I-35E, and I-20. “That’s the Golden Triangle. That’s the mother load of votes. In fact, it’s one of the highest voting areas in all of Dallas County.”

Congresswoman Johnson hopes her leadership and an endorsement by President Obama will help convince voters to keep her in Washington.

All of the Democratic candidates agree jobs and the economy, education, and health care are the district’s top priorities.

The winner will face the Republican candidate, Travis Washington, Jr., next November.

The ex-Pennsylvania senator made the announcement Thursday on conservative host Glenn Beck’s radio show.

Cruz is an attorney and former state solicitor general. He’s in a tight race for the Republican nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison ahead of Tuesday’s Texas primary.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is the race’s perceived front-runner, but some polls have Cruz making up ground. Also running are ex-Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Craig James, a former football star and ESPN commentator.

Opinion polls showed Santorum with strong support in Texas before he abandoned his presidential bid.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

The ex-Pennsylvania senator made the announcement Thursday on conservative host Glenn Beck’s radio show.

Cruz is an attorney and former state solicitor general. He’s in a tight race for the Republican nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison ahead of Tuesday’s Texas primary.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is the race’s perceived front-runner, but some polls have Cruz making up ground. Also running are ex-Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Craig James, a former football star and ESPN commentator.

Opinion polls showed Santorum with strong support in Texas before he abandoned his presidential bid.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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New political districts means White is battling another incumbent, fellow Republican Rep. Mike Hamilton. The race turned nasty last week when Hamilton released records that show the Livingston school district gave White a warning letter about holding inappropriate sexual discussions while teaching high school in 2007.

White was elected to the Texas House in 2010 as part of the tea party wave. Perry endorsed him for re-election before Hamilton released White’s personnel records, which were obtained under the Open Records Act. Perry is scheduled to appear with White in Lumberton Thursday afternoon.

Hamilton has represented East Texas since 2003. White’s supporters have complained that Hamilton is not conservative enough and has violated state campaign finance rules.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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FLOWER MOUND (CBSDFW.COM) – After nearly a year of pecking away at city rules regarding chickens, Flower Mound residents say they’re finally making some progress.

Changes to the chicken ordinance were up for discussion at both the animal services board and city council meetings this week.

Residents are pushing to loosen restrictions that only allow chickens to be kept on more than one acre of land. The effort has been helped by a growing interest in sustainable and organic food. Chicken owners say the birds also become pets.

The town liaison for the animal services board said she expects some changes to the ordinance will be ready for a meeting June 19, and be passed on to the town council for a vote.

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An Arlington city employee places new signage on a downtown pole on May 23, 2012. (Credit: Joel Thomas)

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) – City, business and community leaders gathered for an early morning ceremony Wednesday and launched the dawn of a new image campaign for downtown.

The climax of the outdoor breakfast get-together was to be two parachutists landing inside the downtown amphitheater. The parachutist carrying the new downtown flag couldn’t fight through strong winds to land on his mark, however.

But planners say they’re still on course to market the resurgent downtown as a regional destination or, at the very least, an addition to a visit that might include sports or Six Flags Over Texas.

The sales pitch: Music, culture, food, shopping.

“For years, no one thought Arlington had a downtown,” said Robert Johnson, chairman of the Downtown Arlington Management Corporation, a private, non-profit group that coordinates downtown activity. “So we’re using this as an opportunity to let people know that Arlington has a downtown. It’s a vibrant place.”

City leaders say the branding is designed to distinguish downtown Arlington as a destination like Greenville Avenue in Dallas or Sundance Square in Fort Worth.

“I’m not competing with them,” Mayor Robert Cluck said. “But I just want us to have an active fun atmosphere in downtown Arlington. One of the reasons is my office is right there and I like to see people having fun,” he said as he pointed to City Hall, which is in the middle of the recent development.

Shortly after the morning ceremony, work crews made their way down downtown streets hanging up light pole banners with the new logo and slogan.

People in Arlington like the signs of change for downtown.

“I love it,” said Trisha Michael who lives nearby. “I love the signs I just noticed. And I love all the restaurants that just opened up; things to do.”

And business owners say Arlington visitors have added downtown to the city’s attractions.

“We’ve got people from Mansfield,” said Charlie Bostick of Babe’s Chicken Restaurant, one of the first businesses in the renovated Center Street area. “We’ve got people from Southlake, Keller. I mean, you know, this is the central location if you want to go to a ballgame or go to Six Flags and this is the place to come to.”

And that’s the message Arlington will push in publications, on billboards and online in the coming months, Cluck says.

NORTH TEXAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - A political race that’s catching a lot of attention in North Texas is the new 33rd Congressional District.

The winner will represent parts of Dallas, Arlington, and Fort Worth.

From Fort Worth’s famous Stockyards, to Cowboys Stadium, Rangers Ballpark, and Six Flags in Arlington, all the way east to Oak Cliff, North Texas’ newest Congressional District has many well-known landmarks.

Eleven Democrats and two Republicans are vying for the seat.

Chano Olivades has owned a religious bookstore on Jefferson Boulevard in Oak Cliff for 19 years and his Tacos Chano’s restaurant, next door, for 26 years.

The business owner says he’s still studying the candidates’ before deciding whom to vote for.

“What they do, who they are, and what they did before, not because they have a nice face or they put more papers on the street,” he said.

Bobbie Edmonds’ law practice in downtown Fort Worth is in the new district. She believes the winning candidates will have to focus on the region, not just either Dallas or Tarrant County.

“People who generally focus on Tarrant County have to be flexible and get out to Dallas County,” Edmonds advised. “Likewise, the one’s who’ve only focused on Dallas has to be familiar in these other areas.”

The 33rd Congressional District was created to give Latinos and African-Americans more of a voice in Washington. Many analysts believe the new district will give Democrats their second Congressional seat in North Texas.

Currently, there are some 698,488 people in the district. The number includes 463,087 Latinos, 120,323 African-Americans, and 101,378 whites.

Michael Sorrell is the President of Paul Quinn College, a predominantly African-American college in Oak Cliff and keeps a close eye on politics.

“We refute the notion that the only person who can effectively represent us are those who look like us,” Sorrell said firmly. “The voice that typically would be heard in Oak Cliff might be different than what might be heard in the Stockyards and vice-versa and all points in between. So the key is do you possess the ability to convince a broader ray of people to trust you?”

Sorrell, Bobbie Edmonds, and Chano Olivades all believe race should not play any role in selecting the best candidate for North Texas’ newest district.

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The May 14 personal contribution increases Dewhurst’s spending from his own pocket to about $13.2 million, though his campaign has paid back about $4 million of that.

Dewhurst is one of four major candidates seeking the GOP nomination for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Also running are former Texas solicitor general Ted Cruz, ex-Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Craig James, an ESPN personality and onetime football star.

Leppert has loaned his campaign about $3.6 million and Cruz has spent $70,000 of his own money. James gave his campaign $750,000 but reimbursed himself for all but about $300,000 of that.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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The attorney and former Texas solicitor general spoke to about 75 supporters at an equipment sales and rental business in Lubbock, saying he needs campaign donations to keep Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst from winning the Republican primary on May 29.

Cruz and Dewhurst are vying for the GOP nomination along with two other major candidates — former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and ex-football star and ESPN personality Craig James — to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. But Cruz said the contest is “effectively a two-man race.”

“The 2010 tea party tidal wave is still here,” Cruz said. “And I can tell you the political establishment in Austin let out a collective shriek of terror.”

When someone in the crowd yelled, “We need a bulldog!” Cruz responded, “I agree with you.”

“Enough of these little kitty cats we keep sending to Washington,” he said.

Dewhurst has spent more than $11.8 million and recently poured $6 million of his own money into his campaign. He wants to win a majority of votes in the primary to avoid a July 31 runoff that would feature the top-two finishers if one of them fails to win at least 50 percent of the vote.

Cruz has lent his campaign just $70,000 and spent more than $4.3 million.

Some conservative groups have branded Dewhurst, who has been lieutenant governor since 2003, too moderate. The anti-tax, Washington-based Club for Growth says it’s spending $2 million on ads against Dewhurst, while two prominent tea party groups — FreedomWorks and the Tea Party Express — are backing Cruz.

Dewhurst has responded by using television spots to chide Cruz for his law firm’s work for a Chinese tire company in its appeal against a judgment that it stole intellectual property from an American firm.

On Tuesday, Cruz likened that effort to President Barack Obama’s ads attacking presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, saying “it’s distraction.”

The negative ads have crossed the line for some voters, including John Jones, who attended the Lubbock rally. “The acidic nature of (Dewhurst’s) attacks made me look at Ted Cruz,” the 54-year-old cotton farmer said.

But the Dewhurst campaign got a boost Tuesday with the endorsement of evangelical pastor Rick Scarborough, founder of Vision America. Scarborough said in a statement that the lieutenant governor’s “Christian faith and values have never wavered, and that is obvious from his last nine years serving Texas.”

Cruz’s West Texas campaign stop on Tuesday coincided with his campaign’s release of a new TV ad in which he details his father, Rafael, being imprisoned by Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista and fleeing to the United States. It makes no mention of the fact that the elder Cruz supported rebels backing Fidel Castro before Castro took power in 1959.

The ad says Cruz is “a proven fighter for liberty because his family knows what it means to lose it.”

Also Tuesday, Leppert unveiled his campaign’s fifth TV ad, again touting his experience running companies large and small before serving as Dallas mayor from 2007 to 2011. This time, Leppert appears with empty suits wearing buttons bearing the names of the other major GOP candidates.

Featuring limbs and shoes but no heads, the suit with a “Cruz” button folds its arms, while the Dewhurst one has a cellphone dangling near where its mouth should be, and the James character cradles a football, which is conspicuously fumbled at the end of the ad.

“I know how to cut spending, how to balance the budget, and I know how to create jobs. That’s the kind of conservative leadership that Washington needs right now,” Leppert says, adding that the nation’s capital doesn’t need “one more empty suit.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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A customer leaves a Pizza Patron in Houston. (credit: Dave Einsel/Getty Images)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A local pizza chain that made waves in 2007 for accepting Mexican Pesos for payment has come up with a new way to generate some buzz for itself, offering free pizza to anyone who orders in Spanish.

Dallas-based Pizza Patron will be offering free pizza on June 5 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to anyone who places their order in Spanish.

The promotion was announced in a company press release as a way to honor the “positive force of change immigrants have made in communities throughout America.”

The company is calling the promotion Pizza Por Favor.

Pizza Patron has over 100 locations nationwide.

What do you think? Let us know in your comments below.

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The Kennedale City Council Chambers. (Credit: CBSDFW.com)

KENNEDALE (CBSDFW.COM) – The only sign of the space where Bryan Lankhorst’s portrait has lived in the Kennedale City Council chambers is now a nail hole, an empty remnant of his six years as Mayor.

Lankhorst resigned Saturday amid allegations he may have touched elementary students inappropriately. On Tuesday, Arlington Police revealed they’ve launched an investigation of Lankhorst.

He was a substitute teacher at Miller Elementary in Arlington. A parent tells CBS 11 Lankhorst made comments about pregnancy to a group of girls that made them uncomfortable.

The parents also alleged Lankhorst later played a game of ‘tag’ with those girls during an unauthorized recess, tagging one or more of them on their buttocks.

The girls are said to be between the ages of 11 and 12.

One victim, a 12-year-old, read from her handwritten account of last week’s experience, which detailed the game of tag.

“She put her hand out and said tag my hand and he reached around and tagged her butt,” the girl said. “He was rubbing down my back and coming close to touching my spine and he almost touched my bottom.”

The victim said she and other students had just finished taking state tests when Lankhorst engaged in the game with some girls on the playground.

Former Kennedale Mayor Bryan Lankhorst. (Credit: CBSDFW.com)

The girl also said Lankhorst asked them suggestive questions before touching them like “do I think I’m going to be pregnant before I’m 18 or 19 or do I know how I came out of my mother’s womb,” the girl said.

Kennedale City Manager Bob Hart said when stories of the possible unwanted touching began surfacing last week, his staff called an emergency meeting for Tuesday night.

“We felt like we needed to get some form posted, just so there’s a time for the council to talk about what some of the alternatives might be or what we might do,” Harris said.

Technically, the council was not supposed to act on Lankhorts’s resignation during the special meeting, but they ultimately voted to accept the resignation. By law the resignation automatically becomes official Sunday.

CBS 11 tried contacting Lankhorst at both his home and office, but so far have gotten no response. His lawyer, Fort Worth-based Mark G. Daniel, said Lankhorst is innocent of any wrongdoing.

“My client categorically denies any impropriety whatsoever, we are presently doing our own work on an investigation,” Daniel said. ” Those that know Bryan know that any such allegation is completely contrary to his background and character.”

Arlington ISD officials will say only that there were complaints about an unnamed teacher who has since resigned, that complaining students did the right thing and that the district is cooperating with police.

Arlington Police will not formally identify the target of their investigation, but told CBS 11 the probe is a complaint of “provocative contact” and will likely be a Class C misdemeanor.

In his resignation letter to the city of Kennedale, Lankhorst says he is leaving to focus his attention on his family and his personal life.

“It’s kind of some disbelief,” said Hart, “but we’re going to go on with business as usual.”

As for the council’s future, Hart said Mayor Pro Tem John Clark will become mayor while the council takes applications, interviews and selects someone to fill the remainder of Lankhorst’s term.

The council voted to set July 12 as the date to select a new council member.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -  One week from today, Texans will go to the polls for the state primary.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will likely win enough delegates in Texas to officially become the nominee.

But the race with the biggest political stakes is the Republican primary for the open U.S. Senate seat.

It’s being vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is retiring.

Lt. Governor David Dewhurst is in a real fight against former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

Cruz believes ”This race is in single digits. We are headed to a run-off.”

Dewhurst says, ”This isn’t a nine point race.”

Political analysts say the main storyline is whether Dewhurst, an establishment conservative, can hold back Cruz, a Tea Party favorite.

Former Alaska Governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin backs Cruz.

Governor Rick Perry supports Dewhurst.

And the candidates’ supporters have spent millions of dollars on negative television ads bashing their opponents.

Cruz says, ”Two days after Sarah Palin endorsed me in this race, they doubled their ad buys so they’re now spending $2 million dollars a week in negative, false attack ads directed at me.”

Dewhurst says, “There isn’t one charge the Washington insiders or Mr. Cruz has made that is true. I’m forced to be in a situation where I have to defend myself.”

Former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert believes he still has a shot to be in a runoff with Dewhurst — but acknowledges he has to run strongly here in North Texas.

Leppert says, ”We’ve had our strategy and that’s played out as we wanted it to. We’ve got a lot of momentum, we’ve seen the numbers, and we feel very good about this.”

Former football player and ESPN broadcaster Craig James says he shouldn’t be counted out despite his low position in the polls.  James says, “The message has resonated and I know the grass roots folks who’ve converted to me are real, so that kind of polling I’m very confident in.”

But political analyst John Weekley believes the race will come down to Dewhurst and Cruz.  He says, “If the election were held today, I think there very probably is going to be a runoff.  So far, Cruz has stayed in the 30% range, Dewhurst has stayed basically in the 40% range.”

If there is a run-off between Dewhurst and Cruz, it will be a real test for the Tea Party here in Texas. And analysts believe a run-off will re-set the entire race.

The runoff would be held on Tuesday, July 31.

Four people are running for the Democratic nomination.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune here.

State Representatives are meeting to consult with experts on why so many Texas families don’t have enough food. The group will also toss around ideas on addressing the problem of child hunger during the summer months.

The Texas Department of Agriculture will brief the committee on their Summer Food Service Program.

“It’s about making sure that kids are not going hungry. It’s something that we work hard at the Texas Department of Agriculture to try and overcome,” Agriculture spokesman Bryan Black explained. “And we’re trying to get mayors involved with it, we’re trying to get communities involved with it.”

In the past, participation in the summer program has been low, with less than 20-percent of low-income Texas children participating.

According to the USDA, Texas is the second hungriest state in the union and leads the nation in child hunger. While the USDA provides grants for lunch programs during the school year, providing nutritional assistance to the summer months is more difficult.

“We have hungry children, but the services are there to feed these kids,” Black said. “So hopefully our legislators will see the programs and be able to bring it back to their communities as well.”

This summer, parents can dial 211 to find feeding sites in their neighborhoods.

Last year the report “Hunger by the Numbers: A Blueprint for Ending Hunger in Texas”, by the Texas Hunger Initiative and the Texas Food Bank Network, revealed that 18-percent of Texas households or some 4.2 million residents are at risk of hunger.

“We’ve been reaching out to mayors… to communities,” Black said. “We’re doing a lot more outreach than we’ve done in the past, to try to get communities to understand that ‘Look, these programs are there, you just need to access them.’”

The House Human Services and Public Health Committees is also expected to discuss federal Nutrition standards and congressional activity on the 2012 Farm Bill during the meeting.

The meetings are meant to help lawmakers decide what bills they’ll introduce next year.

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