There may be nine Texas Republicans running for a seat on the U.S. Senate, but former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert makes it clear that he only believes he has two opponents that matter in a new TV ad released today.

In the ad, called “Didn’t Do,” Leppert makes thinly veiled references to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

“As the only businessman in this race, I’ve created thousands of good jobs,” Leppert says in the ad. “How did I do it? Well I didn’t call people like my opponents: a career politician and a lawyer.”

When asked Wednesday if he considers the other candidates a factor in the race, Leppert said, “Clearly everyone else has a right to be in this … but we’re looking at this from a strategic standpoint and decided to focus on them.”

The ad is Leppert’s third in his bid to replace U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. It will air on cable in major media markets across the state including Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin, according to his campaign.

On Friday, Leppert will join Dewhurst, Cruz and former ESPN analyst Craig James at a Belo Corp.-Dallas Morning News debate in Dallas.

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