Posted on 06/20/2005 4:06:48 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Hutchison choice softens intensity of GOP primary ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN (AP) - With Gov. Rick Perry and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn now strapping up for what promises to be a fiery gubernatorial campaign, expectations of shifting across the Republican primary have all but fizzled out.
The GOP holds every statewide elected office in Texas and party leaders had been gearing up for a grand game of political musical chairs in case U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison jumped into the 2006 governor's race.
Instead, Hutchison opted for another run at the Senate, leaving most GOP office holders sitting right where they are.
HARRY CABLUCK Perry
"Everybody stays home," said Republican political consultant Bill Miller.
The lone exception: Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs, who has already declared her candidacy for comptroller. Sen. Todd Staples, a Republican from Palestine, is expected to run for agriculture commissioner.
There had been wide speculation that if Hutchison challenged Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst would campaign for her Senate seat and Attorney General Greg Abbott would launch a bid for lieutenant governor. Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams was considered a potential candidate for Abbott's seat.
Had Hutchison pursued the governor's office, Miller and other political watchers predicted Strayhorn might back out and run for lieutenant governor.
SPECIAL Strayhorn
"There were a lot of political futures in the balance," said Texas' junior senator, John Cornyn. "Not just hers. If she had run that could have operated all the way through the food chain."
Instead, Strayhorn, 65, and, Perry, 55, are locked in a campaign that promises to include plenty of wisecracks and hard-punch politics.
Perry had previously encouraged Hutchison to stay out of the race, asking why the Republican Party would want to endure a "bloody" and "brutal" primary. Strayhorn pounced on that statement in her candidacy announcement Saturday.
"If that is the campaign he promises to wage," Strayhorn said, "bring it on."
Cornyn, who said he supports Perry, dismissed worries that a rugged primary could take its toll on the Republican Party, which currently dominates state politics.
"I think some of those worries are overblown," Cornyn said. "I think competition is part of the game. If somebody feels like they have something to offer to the electorate, they are free to do that."
Strayhorn has used a sharp tongue to needle Perry for the last two years and shows no sign of backing off in her push for the Governor's Mansion.
"Now is the time to replace this do-nothin' drugstore cowboy with one tough grandma," Strayhorn said.
Perry staged his own bit of theatrics Saturday when he vetoed the public school funding budget shortly before Strayhorn's speech, forcing the Legislature into special session starting Tuesday.
Perry, who typically avoids returning Strayhorn's political volleys, seeks his second full term.
"This primary will offer clear differences between the strong, principled conservative leadership we have today, and the big spending, Democrat agenda the comptroller has pushed on behalf of her special interest backers," said Perry campaign spokesman Luis Saenz.
Perry became governor in 2000, after George W. Bush resigned to become president. He was elected to a full four-year term in 2002 in one of Texas' most expensive elections.
Perry defeated Democratic millionaire Tony Sanchez, who spent close to $70 million. Perry's campaign spent $26 million.
While no Democrat has formally announced intentions to run, former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell of Houston has said he is considering a bid. Musician and author Kinky Friedman is running as an independent.
Will KBH have a problem with her two term limit pledge?
Nope, Texans are smart enough to know her seniority is about to put her into the sweet spot for pork.
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