Ted Cruz Wins Texas Primary

As of 9:32 PM EST, the website Politico has called the Texas Senate race for Ted Cruz over David Dewhurst. At the time of the call, Cruz led Dewhurst by roughly 7 points, 53.6-46.4, with just over 20 percent of precincts reporting.

US Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) released this statement over Facebook:

Congratulations to Ted Cruz! Ted’s victory is a loud statement to the Washington establishment that Americans are ready to take back their country. Under the old system, the party establishment picked the status-quo candidates who toed the party line. But, the people have risen up to elect principled leaders like Ted Cruz who will take on big spenders in both parties and fight to save America from fiscal collapse. Voters trust Ted Cruz to reform Washington instead of becoming part of it. In 2010, America sent Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson, Marco Rubio, and Pat Toomey to the Senate. In 2012, we have the chance to elect more courageous leaders like Ted Cruz, Richard Mourdock, Josh Mandel, Mark Neumann, and Jeff Flake. Tonight’s victory will have Washington shaking in its boots but give freedom-loving Americans everywhere.

UPDATE: The Associated Press has called the race for Cruz:

Former state solicitor general Ted Cruz, a tea party-aligned conservative once regarded as a long-shot candidate, has won the Republican runoff in Texas, where he will be the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate in the November election. The Associated Press has called the race for Cruz over Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Cruz will be a heavy favorite over Democratic nominee Paul Sadler, who also won a runoff on Tuesday.

Cruz, an emerging conservative star whose father emigrated to the United States from Cuba, has drawn comparisons to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and has been lauded by national conservative political pundits and groups for over a year. His victory is a major blow to the Republican establishment in Texas, which lined up squarely behind Dewhurst. It’s also a victory for the tea party and national conservatives who lined up behind Cruz even when a surprise win appeared unlikely.

Cruz’s win is a remarkable political feat and arguably the Senate upset of the cycle. In early 2011, when Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced her intention to retire, observers regarded Dewhurst as a virtual shoo-in to take her place in the upper chamber. Dewhurst is very well-known in Texas, enjoys immense personal wealth, and enlisted the help of Gov. Rick Perry’s top political hands. Perry endorsed Dewhurst during the campaign.

UPDATE: Freedomworks President Matt Kibbe said this about the race in an exclusive interview with the Blaze:

Texas is clearly demonstrative of a paradigm shift in politics...I think we're really at a tipping point, and that's why November matters so much. Not just beating the Democrats, but there's still this clash going on between the Republican establishment and all of these principled, Constitutional conservative insurgents. I think, after that election, we essentially take over the Republican party.

Earlier in the evening prior to Cruz's victory, FreedomWorks' Adam Brandon joined Glenn Beck to discuss the race and what's in store for other Tea Party candidates:

This is a breaking news story. Updates will be added.