The Texas Republican primary for U.S. Senate took an increasingly heated turn Thursday night, when Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz called opponent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst a liar over one of his campaign ads.
"The reason that he's lying is because conservatives all over this state are uniting behind our campaign," Cruz said during a debate, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Dewhurst, the frontrunner, didn't respond to the accusation, the Chronicle reported.
The commercial, released two weeks ago by Dewhurst's campaign, questioned Cruz over his work as an attorney, when he represented a Chinese company accused of copyright violations.
Cruz's campaign released its first two ads Wednesday, one defending his legal work and the other attacking Dewhurst's conservative credentials.
Texas holds its primary on May 29.
10 more election stories from beyond the presidential field:
USF Students Challenge Ben Nelson [The Tampa Tribune]
Rob Portman Raising Big Bucks For 2016 [Marion Star]
Lugar, Struggling In Polls, Embraces Status As Washington Indsider [Louisville Courier-Journal]
Scott Brown's Staff Treads Line Between Campaigning, Governing [Boston Globe]
Jon Bruning's Business Holdings Raised As Campaign Issue [Omaha World-Herald]
North Dakota Former Congressional Candidate Creates State's First Super PAC [The Bismarck Tribune]
Missouri GOP Candidate For Governor Backs New Lobbying Limits [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
Club For Growth Weighs In On Arizona Races [Arizona Republic]
Challenger To Sen. Menendez Alleges Conflict Of Interest [Newark Star-Ledger]
Idaho Senate Candidate Makes Last-Minute Donation To Challenger [Spokane Spokesman-Review]