Cruz Set to Appear at Rally for SD-10 Hopeful Burton

Konni Burton, who is in a GOP primary runoff in the race to fill Wendy Davis' state Senate seat, is already one of the lucky few Republicans to lock up an official endorsement from Tea Party hero and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Next Wednesday, she'll have him at her rally.

Burton on Wednesday announced a March 19 campaign rally at the Fort Worth Stockyards with Cruz listed as a guest speaker. Also mentioned in the flyer as an emcee is Tarrant County state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth.

Burton, a Tea Party leader in Tarrant County, was the top vote-getter on the Republican side in the Senate District 10 contest. She took 43 percent of the vote and faces former state Rep. Mark Shelton of Fort Worth— who received 35 percent support — in the May 27 runoff election. The winner of that contest will take on the Democratic nominee, Libby Willis, in the fall. Two Libertarian candidates and a Green candidate are also in the contest.

The SD-10 seat is the only swing seat in the Senate and is open after incumbent Davis' decision to run for governor. The stakes are even higher as a Republican win would put the GOP within one vote of a supermajority in the chamber.