To Interested Parties: David Dewhurst should absolutely stay in the race for Lt.

Governor because Texas needs his experienced, conservative leadership now more than ever. As TEA Party activists, we sincerely believe he offers our state the best chance to continue standing up to Washingtons overreach as it knocks down barriers to success for individual Texans and employers. Were confident more than enough of our fellow Texas conservatives will understand that when they go to the polls on May 27th. Since we joined our fellow Texans at rallies across the state on April 15, 2009 in telling Washington wed been Taxed Enough Already, we have gotten fully engaged in the political process at the local, state and national level. We have seen the powerful impact of individual citizens standing up to the supposedly powerful and using their voices to bring about change. Just a few short years ago, one of the most compelling voices in our movement ran for the U.S. Senate and we moved heaven and earth to get Ted Cruz elected. Described by many as a gifted politician riding a once-in-a-lifetime wave of disenchantment with the federal government, Senator Cruz has proven he was the right man at the right time to poke Washingtons entrenched powers squarely in the eye. When Cruz lost the primary and entered the runoff, we cant recall a single one of our TEA Party peers calling for him to drop out. Each and every one of us saw a contested run-off as a way for Texas Republicans to get a clear look at both candidates then choose for themselves. In retrospect, we believe that process made the conservative movement in Texas even stronger. In our view, calling on a candidate to quit before the people have spoken the final word is the very opposite of what the TEA Party stands for. If we have one regret from 2010, its that some misconstrued our heartfelt expression of approval for Senator Cruz as disapproval for David Dewhurst, something we never intended. Despite that unfortunate collateral damage, David Dewhurst graciously handled his loss in the Senate race and continued his relentless efforts to engage with the grassroots to listen to our concerns and work on our behalf. If you need a gauge of his cellular-level conservatism, you can pretty much pick any legislative session over the past ten years for examples of his effective leadership on essential conservative issues. If youre a fiscal conservative, you can look at his 50-plus tax cuts (to the tune of more than $16 billion), his efforts to limit runaway state spending or his active recruitment of jobs to Texas. If youre a social conservative, no one has done more to protect the unborn with everything from the Parental Notification Act to last years 20-week limit on abortions. We cant say we necessarily blame people calling for David Dewhurst to drop out of the race. Anyone with half a brain and a sense of self-preservation will seek to persuade a

formidable opponent to quit before the first punch is thrown. This situation is no exception, because David Dewhurst has what it takes to win on May 27th. Sincerely, Toby Marie Walker, President, Waco Tea Party* Chuck Wilson, Waco Tea Party* Carol Waddell, Waco Tea Party* Rene Poe, Vice President, Hood County Tea Party* Don Poe, President, Hood County Tea Party* Cathie Adams, President, Texas Eagle Forum* Stace McMahan, Longview Tea Party* Christine Turpin, Lorena Tea Party* Ginger Russell, Montgomery County Tea Party* Alice Linahan, President, Women on the Wall Sherri Heinzman, Precinct Chair, Tarrant County Richard Morgan, President, Texas Young Republican Federation* Brian Bodine, Policy Director, Texas Young Republican Federation* Elizabeth Bingham, RNC Hispanic Leadership Team* Jennifer Burr, VP of Programming, Dallas Young Republicans & President, Junior League Richardson* Chris Carmona, National Committeeman, Texas Young Republican Federation & YRNF Outreach Committee* *Title & Affiliation for identification purposes only.