In Texas, the real fight is between the tea partyers and the Republicans.
The race to succeed Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is retiring, has transformed Republican politics in the state, pitting Tea Party-backed activists against the Texas power structure, which is led by longtime incumbents like Mr. Perry and Mr. Dewhurst, both of whom have taken stands that have riled grass-roots Republicans and opened them to criticism that they have not been conservative enough on some issues.
Intraparty disputes are not new among the conservative camps in Texas, but rarely have the divisions become as heated as they have between supporters of Mr. Dewhurst and Mr. Cruz.
Tea Party activists and their grass-roots colleagues have grown frustrated by what they see as the eagerness of the establishment to compromise with Democrats and to shy away from a bold conservative approach. ...NYT