WASHINGTON - On a geopolitical level, Ted Cruz's victory in the Texas Senate runoff Tuesday reflected the power of anti-government populism among hard-core Republicans. The July 31 Republican runoff reflected a massive generation gap in the two candidates' understanding of - and mastery of - social media and online networking. "The new reality in American politics is the social media and Internet connections," said Clemson University political scientist David Woodard. Dewhurst, the state's lieutenant governor for a decade, relied far more on traditional campaign strategies such as extensive television advertising and endorsements by dozens of state legislators and Gov. Rick Perry. Cruz hired a 24-year-old social media trailblazer, GOP consultant Vincent Harris of Austin, who had helped mobilize conservative bloggers for 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. By Election Day, Cruz's social media reach included national conservative political committees led by the Club for Growth and FreedomWorks, conservative bloggers and columnists such as Michelle Malkin and George Will, conservative and libertarian think tanks, conservative news outlets from the National Review to Fox TV, conservative talk-show and TV personalities including Sean Hannity, and well-known conservative politicians with national followings.
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