Free Republic

Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will announce Wednesday morning she will stay in the Senate, flip-flopping on her resignation promise that left several candidates eager for the chance to succeed her. The Republican kept the decision close to her vest until the final hours, when she informed her inner circle as well as her Texas counterpart, Republican Sen. John Cornyn, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of her decision to stay through the remainder of her term, which expires after the 2012 election. Hutchison will make the announcement official at a press conference Wednesday morning in San Antonio with Cornyn...

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is expected to announce her political plans today in San Antonio. Aides to Hutchison said late Tuesday that she would appear there with her Texas Republican colleague, Sen. John Cornyn, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky for a news conference. Though the statement made no mention of a topic, Hutchison has said frequently that she would leave the Senate before her term ends in 2012. Several state politicians have already declared their interest in running in a special election to replace her. But Cornyn, McConnell, Gov. Rick Perry and every member of the Texas...

While the ever-helpful Jurassic media is trying to force-feed conservatives and Republicans groupthink analysis of Rick Perry's thumping of Kay Bailey Hutchison (KBH), the GOP had better heed the main lesson: The "new tone" era is over.

Breaking News Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison Concedes GOP Gubernatorial Primary to Gov. Rick Perry

Are the national media (and most conservatives) just completely presuming Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's promise to resign from the U.S. Senate, regardless of how the Governor's primaries turn out? Even the standard reference sources, like Wikipedia, FiveThirtyEight, SwingStateProject, the Cook Report, etc., all ignore the race. Meanwhile, a fantastic candidate, Texas State Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams is running hard. (The Texas State Railroad Commission oversees energy issues, among others.) Check out this clip, from CPAC, stating at 3:23: http://www.williamsfortexas.com/posts/48 Any other information about this race would be greatly appreciated.

Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist on Wednesday endorsed Rick Perry for re-election as governor. "I had to come 1,200 miles to find a governor who believes in a simple principle called the rule of law," Gilchrist said at the Crescent Hotel. "I'm here to encourage all you Texans to stand your ground and get out there and vote for this governor." DMN Editorial Board recommendations Gilchrist later added that "Perry has a clear record of decisive action to secure our borders, stop illegal drug and human trafficking trade and is very clearly the right choice for voters in Texas to...

Texas GOP Primary: Perry 48%, Hutchison 27%, Medina 16% Just days before Texas Republicans pick their nominee for governor, incumbent Rick Perry has his biggest lead yet. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely Republican Primary voters finds Perry leading Senate Kay Bailey Hutchison 48% to 27%, with Tea Party activist Debra Medina earning 16% of the vote. Nine percent (9%) of Texas GOP voters remain undecided.

It has been 11 days since the infamous Beck/Medina interview and no new polls have been published. My guess Perry now has over 50% and will avoid a runoff. Thus the media silence since he has Sarah Palin's support.

A Texas Senator, Now a Challenger Lagging in Polls JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. February 20, 2010 DALLAS — Just a year ago, many Republican leaders considered Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to be the odds-on favorite to become the next governor of Texas. A popular lawmaker from the old-guard Republican establishment, she was seen as someone who could widen the party’s appeal after the setbacks it suffered during the 2008 national election. Back then, the incumbent, Gov. Rick Perry, appeared vulnerable, having won a four-way re-election fight in 2006 and having hitched himself to the most conservative wing of the Republican...

FORT WORTH -- Hoping to fire up supporters as early voting in the gubernatorial race begins today, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison kicked off a "Declare Your Independence" tour Monday, encouraging Texas voters to declare their independence from Republican Gov. Rick Perry. Hutchison will be among several candidates casting their ballots today to bring attention to early voting. March 2, the date of the primary election, is also Texas' Independence Day. "I'm asking for your vote and I'm asking for your help," Hutchison told a crowd of more than 40 gathered in a back room at Billy Miner's Saloon in...

Medina is facing off in a GOP primary with Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Medina's absurd comments to Beck about U.S. government involvement in 9/11 included this gem: "I don’t have all of the evidence there, Glenn, so I’m not in a place, I have not been out publicly questioning that. I think some very good questions have been raised in that regard, there are some very good arguments and I think the American people have not seen all the evidence there, so I have not taken a position on that." Perry and Hutchinson immediately ripped...

Debra Medina states: "I have never been involved with the 9-11 truth movement, and there is no doubt in my mind that Muslim terrorists flew planes into those buildings on 9/11. I have not seen any evidence nor have I ever believed that our government was involved or directed those individuals in any way. No one can deny that the events on 9-11 were a tragedy for all Americans and especially those families who lost loved ones."

In a startling statement today, Republican candidate for governor Debra Medina refused to disavow the allegation that the U.S. government was somehow involved in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. Medina made the statement during an interview on the Glenn Beck radio program

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry in his unprecedented nine years in office proved time and again that he is a team player: team Republican. Perry's actions and policies as governor — from tort reform to congressional redistricting to championing an amendment banning gay marriage — made him anathema to Democrats. But his approval rating among self-identified Republicans in public opinion surveys remains above 70 percent........ “You can easily summarize Perry's record by saying: Most Texans don't expect much from their state government, and that's what he's given them,” Jillson said.........Redistricting Victory It was the seminal year of his governorship....

A popular U.S. senator and an incumbent governor headline a close race, but a feisty conservative activist is gaining ground. ------------------ Last but by no means least is the most conservative of the bunch, Debra Medina. A Republican Party activist and the former Wharton County Republican Party chair, as well as the former state coordinator for the Campaign for Liberty, Medina is an admitted long shot, but she has seemingly pushed an awful lot of the right buttons with her share of likely voters: A new Rasmussen Reports poll revealed a significant shift to Medina among likely Texas primary voters....

Debra Medina, the pro-freedom gubernatorial candidate for Texas, pulled out a virtual howitzer and blew Rick Perry (aka Corridor Man) along with Kay Bailey Hutchison (aka Banker Lackey) out of the water in a televised debate last night.

AUSTIN – Like one of those preschool picture books, Rick Perry's latest list of big-money donors invites a question: Which one doesn't belong? Included among the governor's usual givers, staunch Republicans all, is John McHale, an Austin high-tech millionaire with a long history of giving to Democrats. McHale gave the Republican governor $50,000, making him one of Perry's largest donors as he seeks to fend off a challenge from GOP rival Kay Bailey Hutchison, a U.S. senator. McHale did not return a telephone call seeking comment on why he was supporting the Republican governor. But there are clues that...

Here's a snippet listing the top seven donors to each.... See the complete list at the link.... Top Givers to Hutchison H. Ross Perot, Dallas computer executive $110,000 William Greehey, San Antonio energy executive $100,000 Sid Bass, Fort Worth oilman $100,000 Edward Bass, Fort Worth venture capitalist $100,000 Robert and Martha Gillikin, Dallas $100,000 Peter and Edith O'Doinnell, Dallas $100,000 Barry Andrews, Dallas beer distributor $100,000 Top Contributors to Perry Bob Perry, Houston homebuilder, $200,000 T. Boone Pickens, Dallas oilman $100,000 Curtis Mewbourne, Tyler oilman $100,000 Blackridge Associates, Austin lobbyists $55,000 J. Bass, Dallas, Dallas investment adviser $50,000 Ray...

An exquisite sense of timing—and a good deal of luck—has helped transform Rick Perry from an unknown Democratic state legislator into a swaggering Republican who’s spent more years in the Governor’s Mansion than anyone in Texas history. Is it enough to carry him past Kay Bailey Hutchison and all the way to the White House?

The NRA endorsement comes just days after the Perry Camp announced that fellow conservative and Republican Party mega-star Sarah Palin will campaign with Perry in February.