U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison on Wednesday told WBAP’s Mark Davis she plans to officially launch her bid for Texas governor in August. She added that she will step down from the U.S. Senate sometime in October or November to battle incumbent fellow Republican Governor Rick Perry.
Senator Hutchison said he wants to remain in the Senate long enough to fight against President Barack Obama’s government healthcare plan and cap and trade.
Hutchison also said, in the same interview, that she’ll be voting against Sonia Sotomayor. Gotta burnish those right-wing credentials in order to gear up for the fight over the sizable right-wing base in the GOP primary.
Roll Call has a piece from yesterday that predates this announcement, but discusses the mechanisms for a special election, and also looks a bit more at the potential candidates. GOPers would prefer that Hutchison not resign until when (or if) she actually wins the governor’s race, but she appears determined to bolt this year. If she does leave, Gov. Rick Perry will appoint a temporary successor (and signs point to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst), but only until a special election can be held. If KBH resigns anywhere between Sept. 29 to Apr. 2 of next year, the special election, under Texas law, will be held on May 8. (H/t Taegan Goddard.)
Bill White has been raising a lot of money. I think he might have a chance at winning her seat.
With the Rubio-Crist primary seeming to fizzle, I’m pumped that we should have at least one good, Republican-Republican political brawl. And, since it’s my home state, I’ve got front row tickets to the fight. I’m tentatively leaning to Hutchison as the least worst option.
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/ey…
She doesn’t seriously expect Perry to quit does she?
I’m guessing the site had a typo up. They have since corrected it.
Thanks for the update.