GOP gubernatorial candidates debate job losses, big government
From staff and wire reports
DENTON -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry opened tonight’s televised gubernatorial debate by declaring “this is the best state in the nation to be living in today.”
His opponents -- U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and former Wharton County GOP Chair Debra Medina -- tore into Perry as an advocate of big government and the governor who signed the largest tax hike in state history.
Hutchison said Texas lost 300,000 jobs over the past year and said, “That is not a record to be proud of.”
Perry tried to point to the jobs he has created in office and cited positive statistics stretching from November 2007 to November 2008.
“Let’s talk about ’09,” Hutchison replied.
Perry said Texas leads the nation in the development of jobs and it’s one of the top places for small businesses. But Hutchison argued that taxes have increased under Perry.
Texas’ unemployment rate is at 8 percent, about two percentage points below the national average.
Responding to a question about federal spending and what program they like best and what they would cut, both Perry and Hutchison touted the military as the government’s best and most deserving operation.
Medina accused both the governor and senator of being advocates of “big government solutions.”
On another issue, Hutchison was asked by Star-Telegram Austin bureau chief Dave Montgomery to clarify her position on abortion. She said that overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion could lead to “abortion havens.”
The opening debate of the 2010 statewide campaign season was held at the University of North Texas in Denton. The Star-Telegram was a sponsor