Leppert Endorses Dewhurst for TX Senate

Republican Senate candidate David Dewhurst received the endorsement Tuesday of former Dallas mayor Tom Leppert. Leppert, who came in third in the May 29 GOP primary behind Dewhurst and Ted Cruz, did not qualify to run in this month's runoff election.

Leppert's endorsement came shortly after a heated televised debate between Dewhurst and Cruz:

[Dewhurst] said at one point that he believed the American health care system was deficient in many areas as compared to that of countries in Europe and elsewhere, allowing tea party favorite Cruz to pounce.

Cruz boasted that the U.S. has the finest medical care system in the world — though he concurred with Dewhurst in slamming the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that largely upheld the White House-backed health care reform.

But Cruz himself then struggled through an answer when he said he would support the federal government seizing some private property in order to build a fence stretching the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border.

When pressed that such a fence could cost $7.3 billion, Cruz insisted that such a large price tag was consistent with his tea party values of limited government. Dewhurst ducked a chance to attack then, saying he too was in favor of spending billions to triple the size of the U.S Border Patrol.

Both Republicans are vying to win the nomination in the runoff on July 31, and a recent poll showed Cruz leading Dewhurst by just four points. The seat is considered safe for the GOP and is currently occupied