Utah Sen. Mike Lee endorses in GOP primary for Hutchison’s Senate seat

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) made an early endorsement in the crowded GOP Senate primary in Texas on Monday, backing former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz. 

“I am proud to enthusiastically endorse Ted Cruz for the U.S. Senate,” Lee said in a statement. “The 2010 election showed that voters are looking for strong, principled conservatives in the Senate. Money and the establishment aren’t what they used to be; principle and message — real conviction and a proven record — matter much more.”

{mosads}Cruz is one of several Republicans jockeying for early position in the race to replace retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), with both Cruz and former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams battling for Tea Party support.

The backing from Lee offers an early boost and marks one of the first major endorsements in the contest from a figure who can boast national credibility among Tea Party activists. Lee is one of just four members of the Senate Tea Party Caucus.

Lee won the seat of former Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) last cycle, after helping oust him at the party’s state convention. Lee’s 2010 campaign won early backing from the Tea Party Express. He’s now a fixture at Tea Party events across the country and is leading the charge in the Senate for a constitutional balanced-budget amendment.

In his endorsement, Lee called Cruz “one of our nation’s leading defenders of the Tenth Amendment” and “a champion for limiting the power, size and spending of the federal government.”

Lee’s early endorsement also signals his willingness to jump into contested Republican Senate primaries this cycle, following in the footsteps of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who endorsed several Tea Party favorites over establishment contenders in 2010. DeMint endorsed and helped raise money for Lee last year. 

The South Carolina Republican hasn’t weighed in on the Texas race just yet, but in an e-mail appeal earlier this year to supporters of his Senate Conservatives Fund, DeMint praised both Williams and Cruz.

Last month, Lee said he would not endorse if a primary challenge emerged to his fellow Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch. Lee has pledged to support whomever the GOP nominee is in Utah next year.

Along with Cruz and Williams, the crowded Republican primary in Texas includes former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones and former Secretary of State Roger Williams. 

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is also widely expected to jump in the race in the coming months.