Tea Party candidates had quite the evening in Texas last night, winning a number of GOP nominations from incumbents and continuing the state's tradition of voting for rich morons.

Houston radio host Dan Patrick trounced David Dewhurst by 30 percentage points in the state's all-powerful Lt. Governor nomination race. Patrick will face off with San Antonio Democrat Sen. Leticia Van de Putte in the general election.

Dewhurst had been Lt. Governor under Gov. Rick "Haircut" Perry for three consecutive terms. He famously lost a bid for the U.S. Senate to another Tea Party candidate: government shutdown superstar Ted Cruz. He was also the biggest prick during the state's abortion debates and filibuster last year, calling the protesters, "An unruly mob, using Occupy Wall Street tactics, [to disrupt] the Senate from protecting unborn babies."

Two other high-profile Texas Tea Party victories:

• The Tea Party's John Ratcliffe, a U.S. Attorney, unseated Congress' oldest member and WWII vet, Ralph Hall, pulling in more than 45 percent of the votes. Ratcliffe, buoyed by continued Tea Party funding, should coast on to an easy victory in the general against two third-party candidates.

• In the state legislature, Republican State Senator Bob Deuell lost a runoff to Tea Party candidate Bob Hall by 300 votes. And in the race to fill the state senate seat vacated by Wendy Davis, Ted Cruz buddy Konni Burton won the GOP nomination.

The Tea Party is alive and well in Texas.

[Photo of Dan Patrick via AP]