Why are Texans flocking to Donald Trump? Because 'nationalism is the new thing.'

Texans are flocking to Trump- why? — (Image credit: iStock)

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz thought the Lone Star State was his turf for the taking — but then, Donald Trump has an irritating habit of proving his competitors very wrong.

With Texans set to vote on Super Tuesday next week, Cruz risks appearing too, well, Ivy League to some in the state. "[Cruz] doesn't come across like Rick Perry does," former Texas land commissioner Jerry Patterson told The New York Times, naming by example a "folksier" Texan. "Rick Perry and Jerry Patterson went to Texas Agricultural and Mechanical. Ted went to Harvard." Patterson added that Cruz was "too clever by half."

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In a WFAA-TV poll released Thursday, Trump and Cruz are tied for first place in Texas with 32 percent apiece.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.