Patrick Favorite in Lieutenant Governor Race

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — After 11 years in one of the most powerful offices in Texas, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is fighting to keep his job.

Dewhurst placed a distant second Tuesday in the primary for the GOP lieutenant governor's nomination. He faces firebrand conservative state Sen. Dan Patrick in a May runoff.

Dewhurst's meager showing in a four-way race is the latest blow for a politician whose dreams of a U.S. Senate seat two years ago were snatched away by Ted Cruz and the tea party.

Patrick even made a run at the nomination outright Tuesday night after an aggressive campaign that challenged Dewhurst's conservative credentials and cast him as too moderate.

Dewhurst and Patrick emerged from a heated campaign with state Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples.