Romney, Cruz carry Texas by big margins

AUSTIN (KXAN/AP) - Republican Ted Cruz was declared the winner by NBC News and The Associated Press in the race for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night.

Cruz won with 57 percent of the vote and Democrat Paul Sadler came away with 40 percent.

"We need to get back to common-sense conservative principles," Cruz told supporters in Houston. "My pledge to you is to work every single day in the US Senate to champion small bus and entrepreneurs and help them do what they do best which is to create jobs and get America working again."

In the presidential race in Texas, Republican challenger Mitt Romney carried Texas over President Barack Obama. Romney pockets Texas' 36 electoral votes.

In a Central Texas congressional race, longtime Democratic incumbent Lloyd Doggett was declared the winner by AP over Republican Susan Narvais in District 35.

Complete election returns for Central Texas

Cruz's two-year campaign to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will finally come to an end Tuesday as he attempts to become Texas' first Hispanic elected to the U.S. Senate.

Cruz, however, started a long-march campaign that took him to dozens of candidate forums that Dewhurst skipped. Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, spent hundreds of hours convincing grassroots Republicans that a vote for Dewhurst was a vote for moderation, and that he was the true conservative in the race.

Sadler was also an unexpected candidate, stepping up after retired Lt. Gen Ricardo Sanchez dropped out.

Sadler, speaking in Austin, conceded defeat but said it was important for Democrats to mount a challenge even though they've been shut out in statewide races since 1994.

"All across this state, people have come up to me and said, 'Thank you for running,'" Sadler told supporters at a the Driskill Hotel downtown.

"It's really a matter of disbelief," he added, speaking of his longshot effort. 'It started the first day when I announced not only in the media but the people were a lot more concerned with issues than they were with parties.

"They want to know about affordable healthcare immigration because these issues are important in their daily lives."

Still, Texas Democrats did not turn out for Sadler, giving him less than $1 million in a state where a statewide campaign typically costs more than $6 million. Without enough money to buy television commercials, Sadler could do little to spread his message as Cruz only agreed to attend two debates, one broadcast during Friday night high school football games.

Sadler put on an old-school campaign, offering policies typical of southern, moderate Democrats.

The ex-lawmaker told KXAN News at midafternoon Tuesday that he was prepared for good news or bad news once the polls had closed.

"I'll wake up the next day and go to work," he said. "Either way, you're going to do that. If you win, you're going to wake up and go to work. It's just a different job."

Cruz replaces Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, a 20-year Senate veteran who chose not to seek re-election.

In Congressional District 10, Republican incumbent Michael McCaul beat out Democrat Tawana Cadien with 61 percent of the vote. In District 21, long-serving Republican Lamar Smith also beat out leading Democratic challenger Candace Duval with 61 percent of the vote.

Newcomer Roger Williams, a Republican who had served as Texas Secretary of State, beat out Democrat Elaine Henderson in District 25 with 58 percent of the vote.