Rick Perry downplays Tea Party win in Texas

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) downplayed characterization of Tuesday night's win for Ted Cruz in the Texas Senate primary as a contest between his choice and that of the Tea Party movement.

"Texas is as rock-hard conservative as ever," Perry said in a statement. "Texans, in true Texas fashion, decided what is right for Texas. It is my expectation and prayer that their choice will be right for America."

Perry, who went all-in supporting Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Republican primary race for a Texas Senate seat, also congratulated Cruz early Wednesday via tweet on his win in the runoff election.

Congrats to Ted Cruz and his organization. That was an amazing race! #strongerthangarlicGod Bless Texas!

— Rick Perry (@GovernorPerry) Aug. 1, 2012

Despite Cruz's support from influential Tea Party names including former Gov. Sarah Palin (Alaska), former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), as well as from deep-pocketed outside spending groups like the Club for Growth and DeMint's Senate Conservatives Fund, Perry stood staunchly behind Dewhurst in the primary challenge. 

Things even got a little personal, with Perry blasting the non-Texans for interfering in his state's political process and alleging DeMint stood to gain personal political power, a charge DeMint's office strongly denied.

But after Tuesday's runoff, following a primary in which neither candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote, was called for Cruz, Perry quickly released a statement congratulating Cruz and calling on "all conservative Texans to rally behind Ted Cruz in November so we can remake the U.S. Senate in the image of Texas for the good of all Americans."

But Cruz's supporters' congratulatory tweets explicitly celebrated the win as one for the Tea Party.

Congratulates to @tedcruz on his TX Runoff win! Indeed TX may be leaning #TeaParty chron.com/news/politics/…#TCOT

— Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) Aug. 1, 2012

Congratulations to Ted Cruz! This is a victory both for Ted and for the grassroots Tea Party movement. This... fb.me/2hfzNzYdU

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) Aug. 1, 2012

Just congratulated @tedcruz. Loved his humility & sense of being called to duty even in this exciting time. He is going to be a good one.

— Rick Santorum (@RickSantorum) Aug. 1, 2012

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