Mistakes by inexperienced staffers
Remember the Republican pro-choice group that removed Hutchison from its endorsement list?

The group says it was a mistake by an "inexperienced staffer":

With Texas conservatives dogging her every move, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison found herself embroiled this week in an issue she prefers to avoid – abortion – after a miscue by a Republican abortion-rights group that has long backed her.

The Wish List, a group that raises money for GOP candidates who support abortion rights, sought to knock down reports it was distancing itself from Ms. Hutchison.

The Texas senator remains on the group's Web site as an honorary board member and is touted as one of four female pro-choice GOP senators.

Earlier this week, Wish List removed a page saying it "strongly supports" Ms. Hutchison for a third term in the Senate. The group's president, Pat Carpenter, on Friday blamed "an inexperienced staffer" for posting an endorsement prematurely, since Ms. Hutchison is not yet a declared candidate for re-election.

Social-conservative allies of the governor's campaign -- prodded by a Perry aide -- pounced on the group's decision, calling it an effort to hide Ms. Hutchison's support of abortion rights. They circulated a news release that erroneously said Wish List had dropped her from its board.

On Friday, social conservatives stepped up their attack on Ms. Hutchison with a new round of e-mails to activists in Texas.

...

Kelly Shackelford of the Free Market Foundation, which opposes abortion and gay marriage, said he's confident Mr. Perry would win the GOP primary.

At the same time, he said, some social conservatives see a silver lining in a Hutchison challenge because it would trigger elections that could put more conservative candidates in statewide office.

"I've talked with a number of people who privately think it might be a good thing," he said.

- posted @ 5:30 PM permalink