Ted Cruz, David Dewhurst Texas Senate Primary Race Gets Ugly Over Immigration, Guest Worker Policy

Senate Primary Race Gets Ugly Over Immigration

Texas GOP candidate for Senate Ted Cruz on Wednesday took a swipe at his primary opponent on immigration, the Houston Chronicle reports.

David Dewhurst, Cruz's Republican opponent and the state's lieutenant governor, recently sought to bolster his own hardline stance on immigration. In a debate last week, he said he was opposed to a guest worker program "until and unless" the border is secured. And on Wednesday, his campaign released an ad that features Dewhurst in a cowboy hat on what appears to be the Texas-Mexico border, saying the Obama administration's recent immigration policy change "burns me up."

The Cruz campaign fired back the same day with a statement highlighting a speech Dewhurst gave in 2007 that appeared to show his past support for a guest worker program.

“We need a human presence at the border and a humane presence at the border," Dewhurst said in the speech. "I support secure borders both North and South and I support a guest worker program for those here today illegally."

Both campaigns have strived to maintain a hardline stance on immigration at the other's expense.

In an earlier radio ad, Dewhurst's campaign accused Cruz of helping to run two national pro-amnesty organizations. At the time, PolitiFact Texas concluded the ad offered a "misrepresentation," saying, it "isn’t just inaccurate; it’s ridiculous."

10 more election stories from beyond the presidential field:

  • Rhode Island couple declares candidacies for Congress in different districts [Providence Journal]

  • Warren and Brown don't debate, but clash at a distance [Boston.com]
  • Democratic Senate candidate Howell aims to use Hatch’s money against him [Salt Lake Tribune]
  • Chicago electricity question to appear on ballot in November [Chicago Tribune]
  • Tea Party-affiliated group in Maryland alleges voter-roll problems [Baltimore Sun]
  • Federal judge rules against NJ Supreme Court on residency requirement for candidates [NJ.com]
  • Businesses in Tampa want RNC parade rerouted [The Tampa Tribune]
  • Racine senate recount could end up in court [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]
  • Crunchtime with Pa. budget deadline near [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
  • Embattled Oregon attorney general stepping down on Friday [The Oregonian]
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