In Texas, conservative candidates ride out hard hits

A conservative talk radio host with a history of bankruptcy, litigation and attention-grabbing on-air moments, Dan Patrick is a candidate out of an opposition researcher’s fantasy.

Investigations into Patrick’s past have led to several hard-hitting attacks against the Republican state senator from Houston who is trying to unseat Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in Tuesday’s runoff, including forays into mental health records three decades old. But attempts to dull support for Patrick have so far failed to change his front-runner status in the race; he is the favorite of conservative voters.