Tag: TX-Gov

A potentially interesting development:

Having wrapped up his career as an ambassador under President Bush, Fort Worth’s Tom Schieffer is back home and pondering a run for governor – as a Democrat.

“I’ve thought about it for a while,” Schieffer told the Star-Telegram. “I have not made a decision.”

Although Schieffer served in a Republican administration under Bush – with whom he worked as general manager of the Texas Rangers – he says there should be no confusion about his political affiliation. “I am a Democrat,” said Schieffer, who voted for Barack Obama in the primary and general elections.

The right Democrat just might find an opening left by the inevitable all-out slugfest grudge match between Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison that will soon be in full bloom. Is Schieffer (brother of CBS broadcaster Bob) that guy? Perhaps.

(h/t)

With Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison drawing battle plans to take out unpopular Gov. Rick Perry in the 2010 Republican primary, the biggest Democratic names in Texas politics are lining up to run for the office KBH isn’t running for: her own Senate seat. Hutchison may jump ship from the Senate at some point over the next year in order to campaign against Perry at full speed, and Democrats Bill White (the current mayor of Houston) and former state Comptroller John Sharp will duke it out in a mandatory special election that will surely attract many, many contenders.

While defeating KBH would be tough even for any Democrat in Texas, it would be advisable to have more than just a warm body in place, on the off chance that Perry can pull a rabbit out of his hat and survive his primary. Who would you like to see run for the job?

Get ready for a Texas-sized primary battle: it’s been long threatened, but now Kay Bailey Hutchison has launched a committee to explore a run for governor in 2010. (And, of course, by the time you’re officially “exploring” (i.e. starting to raise funds), you’re actually pretty damn well committed to seeing it through.) As an added edge for Hutchison, as a federal official she’s still able to raise money during the Texas legislative session, while Perry (a state official) cannot.

This creates the prospect for more interesting internecine warfare between Republicans (with Perry expected to line up social conservative support and Hutchison carrying the flag for the Chamber of Commerce types and what otherwise passes for moderates in Texas). But even more significantly, if KBH becomes governor, that leaves an open senate seat. (Unless Texas law has changed recently, the seat would be subject to short-term appointment followed by a special election… that’s how KBH became senator in the first place, beating the hapless Bob Krueger in a 1993 special election, who had been appointed by Ann Richards to replace Lloyd Bentsen, who retired to become Clinton’s Treasury Secretary.)

Houston mayor Bill White, the Dems’ best hope in Texas, is probably also watching carefully, hoping to jump into whatever race Hutchison(almost undisputedly Texas’s most popular politican) doesn’t jump into. If KBH becomes governor, White may actually have a shot in a special election for an open Senate seat against a generic R.

Just saw this quick story on MSNBC, that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) has announced she’s forming an exploratory committee to run for Governor of Texas!  So she’ll be challenging Rick Perry for the Republican nomination.  Hmm… who will Texas Republicans support there?  And also, if she gives up her Senate seat……………..

It’s been discussed many time here and elsewhere that Houston mayor Bill White has his sight set on higher office. And according to the Austin American-Statesman, we should know his plans fairly soon.

Houston Mayor Bill White, whose last term runs through December 2009, intends to address his post-mayoral political goals within the next few weeks, an aide said today.

“He’s going to make a decision in the near future,” said Michael Moore, White’s chief of staff. “It will be based on where he could do the most for Texas with his experience and abilities.”

I touched bases with Moore while preparing a column running in Thursday’s newspaper on jockeying among Texans who might want to succeed U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, if she resigns in advance of running for governor in 2010.

Moore said White, who wasn’t immediately available, is talking to people around Texas by telephone, sounding out his prospects. Most observers expect White to make a try for the Senate or for governor.

My hunch is that White will whatever Hutchison does not. Rumors have circulated for a long time that she could resign her seat as soon as 2009 to make the run for governor, even though nothing legally compels her to do so. Some of you might recall that she won the seat in a special election in 1993 shortly after Lloyd Bentsen resign to lead the Treasury Department under Bill Clinton. I still don’t know what Anne Richards was thinking when she appointed Bob Krueger who was a horrible candidate.

If the above speculation pans out, I would admonish those who want to push for another “grassroots” candidate to understand that running statewide in Texas requires near presidential-level fund raising and someone like White, while not ideal, is the candidate for the run. He earned high marks for during the string of hurricanes that has plagued the Gulf Coast and his leadership would be valuable in Austin or in Washington.

…as a Democrat?  From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Friedman said he is considering running again for governor in 2010, as a Democrat.

“God probably couldn’t have won as an independent,” Friedman said.

“My focus would be on education and getting rid of the death penalty. I don’t think that’s a radical view. What part of ‘Thou shalt not kill’ don’t people understand?”

Now, I’m not from Texas, but as I recall, Kinky’s lackluster 12.6% of the vote that November was attributable to his schtick wearing thin over the course of the campaign.

The response to this idea over at the Burnt Orange Report is, not surprisingly, overwhelming negative.

Crossposted from Burnt Orange Report but it is a poll and the SSP diaries need some content!

This poll was taken Monday night of a random sample of 230 UT students, unweighted. It has a 5.4% MoE @ 90% confidence.

46.5% Bell (D)

18.3% Friedman (I)

16.5% Perry (R) 

10.0% Strayhorn (I) 

04.3% Werner (L) 

04.0% Undecided

If the heart of the supposed hotbed of Kinky Friedman support has this pathetic of a showing, what more evidence do people need to show that Chris Bell is the only viable candidate to beat Rick Perry?

Turnout at the on campus UT early voting site hit a high today of 626 votes even as the county remained static from yesterday. Looks like my autocall to students yesterday and other GOTV phone calls are making an impact.