Tea Partiers Win Pair of Texas House Seats

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Conservative “tea party” candidates have ousted a longtime ally of Republican House Speaker Joe Straus and are apparently sending another one into a runoff.

Rep. Tommy Merritt of Longview was defeated Tuesday by businessman and tea party activist David Simpson.

Rep. Delwin Jones of Lubbock appeared to be headed for a runoff with tea party favorite Charles Perry.

Three Democratic incumbents, all of them Hispanic women, were also in tight races. They are Norma Chavez of El Paso, Tara Rios Ybarra of Corpus Christi and Dora Olivo of Rosenberg.

Sen. Kip Averitt of Waco has won his re-election race even though he announced in January that he was dropping out of the race and suspending his campaign.

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