UPDATE: I heard from Team Dewhurst this morning and wanted to post their response in its entirety: “Team TM: Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst actually made the comment about winning the primary outright during the press gaggle after his formal remarks in response to a direct question from a reporter, who quoted him as saying, ‘We’ve got a real good shot at winning this in the primary without a runoff.’ It was not as Paul suggests, ‘as he did in a speech to the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association yesterday.’ I think the proper context relative to this issue is important.”
If I were advising David Dewhurst, and he had suffered a grievous defeat in his previous bid for office, I would not allow him to brag that he has a good chance to win the primary for lieutenant governor without a runoff, as he did in a speech to the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association yesterday. Instead, I would tell him to speak to his audience about how humbled he is by the support he has gotten and how he is going to work even harder to carry out his agenda to cut taxes and improve the business climate.
This is classic Dewhurst. He just can’t resist the opportunity to big-dog it. Ted Cruz is still stuck in his craw. The proper advice to Dewhurst is, “Keep your head down and shut up.” What is the point of saying that you have a good chance to win without a runoff? All you are going to accomplish is to make your rivals — especially Dan Patrick — even more resolved to find a way to bring you down. I have believed from the start that Dewhurst would win this race and said so in my article about the lieutenant governor’s race in TEXAS MONTHLY. Dewhurst has the advantage in money and the advantage in name I.D. and the lobby is going to go with the front-runner, as they always do. Let nature take its course.
