Dewhurst, Cruz Take Divergent Approaches in New TV Ads

The two Texas Republicans in the runoff for an open U.S. Senate seat are taking different approaches in their latest TV ads, which were released Tuesday morning.

For his first television ad of the runoff, former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz is focusing on a short exchange between him and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst during a televised debate last month.

In the segment, Cruz asked Dewhurst if he ever supported a "statewide wage tax, a payroll tax." Dewhurst said he never did, a response that Cruz has described as a "deliberate falsehood."

The ad will run statewide, according to the Cruz campaign.

Dewhurst ignores Cruz entirely in his latest television ad, focusing instead on his plan to repeal President Obama's federal health care reform bill, an issue both candidates agree on. The ad will air in "select markets in Texas," the campaign said.

Along with an ad focusing on that issue, Dewhurst also released the text of the bill he plans to file on his first day in office to repeal Obama's health care reform.  

It's the second television ad for Dewhurst focused on Obama since the May 29 primary. The first ad focused on illegal immigration.

On Monday, Dewhurst released a 60-second radio ad attacking Cruz's work as an appellate lawyer for a Chinese tire company found liable for intellectual property theft.