◼ Round one in the battle of anti-Establishment Republican presidential candidates goes to Sen. Ted Cruz. - David Drucker/Washington Examiner
In competition for the Tea Party's vote in 2016, the Texas Republican has bested Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky with a campaign rollout that GOP strategists say exceeded expectations and was almost flawlessly executed. Announcing for president two weeks later, Paul accomplished nearly the opposite, forcing a swift recalculation about which candidate is best positioned to win over the party's insurgent wing and vie for the nomination.
"Cruz had a superb rollout. He hit all the right notes," Republican guru Ed Rollins told the Washington Examiner on Thursday. "Paul had a disastrous rollout…He'll get back on track, but it was not a good first impression."
Ted Cruz Electrifies the NRA Leadership Forum http://t.co/DcICszR9Qb #tcot
— Doug Ross (@directorblue) April 11, 2015. @tedcruz has hit pay dirt — and he might have @JebBush to thank. http://t.co/23aNjorcyq pic.twitter.com/Ew7SPHSoJG
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 10, 2015
