SOUTHLAKE, Texas (AP) — With three days left in the race, the two Republicans vying for a shot at Texas’ U.S. Senate seat stuck to their strengths Saturday — Ted Cruz appeared in suburban Dallas with one of the country’s best-known conservatives, while Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst attended smaller events in West Texas.
Dewhurst and Cruz are locked in a tight, expensive battle for the GOP nomination leading up to a July 31 runoff. Both candidates made last-minute pitches to voters about the importance of what’s expected to be a low-turnout election.
Cruz, the former state solicitor general, has held events the last three days with national conservative figures. On Saturday, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, who unsuccessfully ran for president this year, rallied more than 150 voters at a Southlake ranch.
“We have to have people of principle,” Santorum said. “We have to have people that we can trust to stand up and say the things that are unpopular because they’re true. Ted has proven in his private career, he has proven in this race, he is willing to stand up for his convictions.”
Santorum joked about his own experience running for Senate in more moderate Pennsylvania.
“We need someone with Ted’s skills and with Ted’s conviction — and from a state where he can say those things and still get elected,” said Santorum, referencing his resounding defeat for a third term in 2006.
Cruz campaigned Friday with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina. He’s gotten support from national conservative groups that have poured millions to his campaign and dispatched volunteers from all over the country. Cruz also has the backing of local and state tea party groups.
“There is a great awakening that is sweeping this state and sweeping this nation,” Cruz said Saturday.
Dewhurst has the endorsements of Texas Gov. Rick Perry and a majority of the state’s GOP establishment. He has loaned his campaign almost $25 million — including $8 million in the last two weeks — drawing from a personal fortune made through his energy business.
Dewhurst talked to diners at a Lubbock cafe Saturday, accompanied by Republican state Sen. Robert Duncan, of Lubbock. He also was scheduled to visit Abilene, Amarillo and Midland.
“I am here to encourage people to come out and vote,” Dewhurst said, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “People have a chance to elect someone who will work closely with Sen. Duncan, who has created the best state economy in the country.”
Dewhurst also questioned whether Santorum, Palin and other high-profile Republicans could help Cruz.
“Mr. Cruz is bringing other officials from other states to talk to the people of Texas and tell them how to vote,” Dewhurst said. “That is something I do not believe Texans will take kindly to.”
Dewhurst beat Cruz by 11 percentage points in the May 31 primary, with solid majorities in West Texas, the Panhandle and other rural areas. Cruz fared well in metropolitan areas — Dallas, San Antonio and Houston — along with several counties along the border.
Tea party groups have targeted Dewhurst — long considered the overwhelming favorite — as too moderate. While the lieutenant governor has overseen some of the most conservative legislative sessions in Texas history, he has also occasionally compromised with Democrats on key bills.
Cruz said he planned to attend church in Houston on Sunday, but aides did not immediately announce any public events.
Dewhurst’s campaign had scheduled a Sunday afternoon meet-and-greet with voters in Waco.
