Inside Texas Politics: Analyzing Primary Results

On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, I talked with host Jason Whitely and Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Bud Kennedy about Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's problems heading into his May 27 runoff with state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston. Patrick's commanding lead — 42 percent to Dewhurst's 28 percent — tells only part of the story: 72 percent of the primary electorate went with anyone but the incumbent. We also talked about which opponent Republican lieutenant governor candidate state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte might prefer to run against; the Democrats' apparent declining market share, given the party's poor turnout in the primaries; gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis' relative absense on the campaign trail; an energized Tea Party in Texas that could owe as much to President Obama as it does Sen. Ted Cruz; and finally, Gov. Rick Perry's apparent resurgence in the 2016 presidential conversation.

Also: interviews with Republican gubernatorial nominee Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick, and in Texas, at least, the Tea Party is kind of a big deal.