AUSTIN — Ted Cruz’s talkathon on the U.S. Senate floor had no hope of legislative success and boiled down to largely political performance art. But in Texas, the combative style his 21-hour speech demonstrated could be transformative.
The all-night self-emulation is energizing the grass-roots conservatives who already have helped Cruz rise from electoral long shot to national star, and may prove a boon for other tea party-backed candidates waiting to follow in his footsteps.