The Evening Brief: May 8, 2012

Culled:

• Dewhurst wins? (Houston Chronicle): "So, in the Republican U.S. Senate race, it’s all over but the shouting — if, that is, you believe polling numbers released today by Conservative Republicans of Texas. The survey of 400 likely Republican primary voters was conducted late last month and has Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst at 51 percent, former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz at 16 percent, former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert at 7 percent and former ESPN analyst Craig James at 2 percent. … Well, maybe. There are reasons to be skeptical. The polling firm, Dresner Wickers Barber Sanders, has polled for Dewhurst since his land commissioner days, and one of the name partners, Bob Wicker, is a former Dewhurst political consultant. Wicker is the co-founder of the pro-Dewhurst Super PAC known as Conservative Renewal."

• With Ron Paul, GOP expects Washington state convention battle (The Associated Press): "Republican leaders are bracing for a combative Washington state party convention as supporters of presidential candidate Ron Paul look to seize more delegates from presumptive nominee Mitt Romney."

• Democratic Texas Senators question Medicaid cuts (The Associated Press): "Democratic state senators on Tuesday questioned whether cuts in Medicaid could lead to a shortage of doctors willing to treat the poor, elderly and disabled. El Paso Sen. Jose Rodriguez said he was worried whether the state will have enough doctors willing to participate in program. 'Back in El Paso, I hear it all the time from people saying that because of these rate cuts that it is affecting access to health care, people are scaling down their Medicaid patient load,' he said."

New in The Texas Tribune:

• The Texas Weekly Hotlist: Gauging Primary Races: Here's a look at congressional and legislative primary races, ranked by competitive heat. This list is certainly subject to argument, and we'll revise and adjust each week through the May 29 primary.

• Interactive Map: Texans' Access to Health Care: Health care providers are lacking across the vast expanses of rural Texas, and the problem could be worsening. The Tribune created an interactive map to illustrate just how few physicians there are in some parts of the state.