A new angle?
Robert Novak reports a new angle in the race:

Texas political sources believe that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison definitely has decided to run in 2006 for governor, a job she long has coveted. That means challenging Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary.

Polls indicate that Perry is vulnerable in heavily Republican Texas, while Hutchison is currently the state's most popular political figure. If she runs for governor, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is interested in succeeding her in the Senate.

According to Texas sources, Hutchison's running mate as lieutenant governor may be State Comptroller Carole Strayhorn. The former Democratic mayor of Austin, Strayhorn has been called the brains of the Texas Republican Party. She is the mother of two important Bush administration officials: White House press secretary Scott McClellan and Medicare chief Mark McClellan.

Given all the sniping in the media lately, it's not a surprise that Hutchison has decided to run for governor.

Strayhorn and Hutchison as an anti-Perry ticket is an intriguing idea. It definitely seems possible -- there was a similar reshuffling in 2002 when Phil Gramm decided not to seek re-election.

Then-Land Commissioner David Dewhurst could have had the Senate nomination uncontested, but didn't jump in right away as he was already running for Lt. Gov against Greg Abbott. Folks at the time questioned Dewhurst's savvy to not immediately declare, because his personal wealth would have kept other serious candidates out of the race. So then Attorney General John Cornyn jumped in, and the White House helped clear the field to avoid a contentious Senate primary. As a result, Dewhurst stayed in the race for Lt. Gov, while Greg Abbott left the Lt. Gov race to become Attorney General.

- posted @ 6:32 PM permalink