United Liberty

We noted yesterday that, after a win over Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) on Tuesday, the Club for Growth was preparing to spend $1 million in Texas trying to take down David Dewhurst, hoping that it will boost the campaign of Ted Cruz, who is backed by the Club and other grassroots and Tea Party groups. But things in the Lone Star State were ramped up a bit yesterday thanks to a pair of endorsements for Cruz from Sarah Palin and Ron Paul.

Palin’s endorsment, given her standing in the conservative movement, is obviously more high profile and is being touted heavily by Cruz, both in fundraising letters and on ads on the web (I’ve already seen it several times):

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, have endorsed another Senate candidate in a contested Republican primary: former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

Cruz told supporters in an email that he sought her support via a letter.

“We’re proud to join conservatives in Texas and throughout the nation in supporting your campaign to become the next Senator from the Lone Star State,” Palin wrote back.

“Your conservative principles, passionate defense of our Constitution and our free market system come at a time when these cornerstones of our freedom and prosperity are under attack,” she added. “Our shared goal isn’t just to change the majority in control of the Senate, but to assure principled conservatives like you are there to fight for us.”

The Cruz email also notes that Palin endorsed in Indiana’s Senate GOP primary. The Cruz campaign has touted state Treasurer Richard Mourdock’s walloping of Sen. Dick Lugar in Tuesday’s primary and has sought to paint Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the frontrunner in the Senate race, as similar to Lugar in that both are the “establishment” candidates.

Palin still has her detractors, but it’s hard to see this as a negative for Cruz in a GOP primary when he’s pitted against Dewhurst, who is increasingly being cast as a moderate. However, Paul’s endorsment has been more low-key, despite him being from Texas. In an e-mail through his Liberty PAC:

Anyone who knows me knows I have a real soft spot in my heart for the state of Texas.

So today, I’m very proud to endorse a fellow Texan – United States Senate candidate Ted Cruz!
[…]
I was very impressed with Ted when I got to see him in action at a Tea Party rally my son Rand and I spoke at in Texas this past weekend.

Ted is a true statesman and is exactly the kind of person my son Rand needs to help him fight for liberty in the U.S. Senate.

If elected, Ted will be a leader in the fight to restore individual liberty, free markets, and sound money in America.

In fact, Rand, Ted, and I had a lengthy discussion about the dangers of the Federal Reserve printing money out of thin air.

Ted understands monetary policy and is fully committed to passing AUDIT THE FED legislation.

But Ted doesn’t just understand the dangers of Ben Bernanke’s inflationary policies.

He also understands the importance of protecting our God-given liberties.

In fact, he is strongly opposed to the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens under the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and he will fight to overturn this gross violation of our liberties.

Ted is also an opponent of the TSA, and he will work with Rand in his fight to abolish this out-of-control federal agency.

As I’ve noted recently, Dehurst still holds a double-digit lead, but it has been shrinking, making an upset by Cruz a real possibility. Endorsements such as these and money coming in from outside groups, may put him over the top.