Cruz wins statewide NC Tea Party Caucus

by Mark Hensch - 10/19/15 7:39 AM ET

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) won this weekend’s North Carolina Tea Party Constitutional Caucus with 51-percent support in the statewide voting.

{mosads}“North Carolina is an important state for the Republican primary, and our campaign will continue to build our team in the Tar Heel state to ensure our campaign is competitive,” Cruz said in a statement Monday morning.

“The Tea Party will be instrumental in helping to organize and elect a strong constitutional conservative and I am honored to receive their support,” Cruz added.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is the survey’s runner-up with 42.05 percent, organizers said.

No other GOP presidential contender reached the 1-percent mark among North Carolina’s Tea movement.

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina ranks third in the vote, but only registered 0.77 percent.

Donald Trump remains the front-runner for next year’s Republican presidential nomination with 23.8 percent, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of multiple national polls.

Cruz, meanwhile, ranks fourth out of 15 candidates with 8 percent voter support.