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.
No more sock puppet commercials this cycle?
Seriously though, go White go.
he’s our strongest candidate for whatever he runs for. If KBH resigns and the DSCC is willing to commit money to Texas he should run for that. If not and Perry sticks with it and their is a bloody primary he’ll have a shot at that too.
He’s probably one of our better statewide possibilities. And I agree that he should run for whichever race Hutchiso doesn’t. No Dem is going to beat her.
Is Governor Perry supposed to be running for re-election in 2010? I wonder if he’d also pull a switch and run for Senate if Hutchison announces for Governor.
He is our strongest statewide candidate. Personally, I think he is better suited to be governor, but he should take the easier position to win.