The Houston Chronicle speculates that the departure of Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., from the United States Senate to head the Heritage Foundation could elevate Sen. Elect Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to be the tea party leader in the Senate.
Cruz could fill Demint's shoes
DeMint, the founder of the Senate tea party caucus, is departing from the Senate to lead the Heritage Foundation, one of the leading conservative think tanks, according to the Houston Chronicle. This leaves a power vacuum for conservatives in the Senate that might be filled by Cruz, even though he is a political novice who has not actually been sworn in as a senator. DeMint's departure is being keenly felt, especially in a time when fiscal cliff negotiations require, in the view of conservatives, a strong hand to oppose President Obama's drive to raise taxes. Cruz, a firm fiscal conservative, may fit that bill, according to some analysts.
Cruz was elected on the strength of the tea party
In an election year that did not see a lot of Republican success, Cruz's elevation to the Senate, which first involved defeating Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst then winning the general election, proved to be a rare bright spot, according to Fox News Latino. The Washington Post noted that conservative leaders such as Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, and DeMint himself stumped for Cruz during his primary fight. Cruz's candidacy was heavily supported by Texas tea party activists and his electoral success is seen as a victory over the Republican establishment, as represented by Dewhurst.
Cruz fits the bill as a young, Hispanic, conservative leader
Many see him as the future of the Republican Party, being as he is young, conservative, and Hispanic, according to the Houston Chronicle story. The latter positions him to appeal to a fast-growing demographic in the United States that Republicans need to maintain political strength.
Senate Republican leadership scrambling to take advantage of Cruz's clout
Politico notes that the Senate Republican leadership is already trying to find ways to take advantage of Cruz's political clout. Cruz has the post of vice chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is charged with elected more Republican senators. The post is crucial for Republican hopes of retaking the Senate in 2014, thus blunting President Obama for the last two years of his presidency. This may mean that Cruz will have to balance his tea party ideology with the more pragmatic demands of political deal-making.
Texas resident Mark Whittington writes about state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jim-demints-leaving-senate-may-benefit-ted-cruz-182800116.html
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