Shorts
1. Hutchison offers support for Delay: "The Majority Leader is the target of an unfair media feeding frenzy. He deserves to have people actually listen to what he has to say."

2. Leubsdorf in the DMN offers a column on speculation as to what will happen to Kay Bailey's Senate seat. The article offers Dewhurst and AG Abbott as potential Bonilla challengers. Dewhurst has said he wants to succeed Perry as guv in 2010, and claims to have been misquoted about running for Senate in 2010. Abbott originally was running against Dewhurst for lt guv in 2002 before switching to the AG race when Cornyn ran for Senate.

3. Tommy Merritt says that former Perry Chief of Staff Mike Toomey had Merritt pledge to support Craddick as Speaker in return for Perry's endorsement. Merritt was facing a GOP primary challenge, and had recently been defeated in a state senate race in part due to the efforts of one of Perry's consultants. (Statesman) (AP)

4. Perry hosted the Baylor Lady Bears basketball team. Then he knocked over their trophy.

5. KBH raised $700,000 this quarter. Perry and Strayhorn can't raise money while the legislature is in session. Kay has $7.2 million in cash on hand, while Rick has $7.9 million. Carole has $5.7 mil.

Rick and Kay aren't going to have problems raising money. The most surprising thing to me is that Kay continues to raise significant amounts of money for her federal account in $2000 chunks per donor when she could open a state account and raise unlimited amounts per donor.

5. Perry released his tax returns. He made about 180k.

6. Perry spoke to the national NRA convention in Houston. The NRA is always good to have on your side. Meanwhile, neither Rick, Carole or Kay have a concealed weapons permit. Perry did talk about his love of hunting.

7. Deidre Delisi, Perry's current chief of staff, is asking lobbyists to support the governor on school finance by contributing to an ad campaign in support of the proposals.

8. Kay speaks at Fiesta in San Antonio. Shame Bexar County doesn't have good turnout in GOP primaries.
- posted @ 8:20 AM permalink