Sunday, July 19, 2009

Everyone is waiting on Kay...

Lots of shuffling will happen when Kay decides whether to run for governor and resign (link). Excerpt follows...
It is no secret Republican U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison wants to end Rick Perry's tenure as governor but she has not formally announced her candidacy.

Thus, when Hutchison makes it official next month, it is doubtful her announcement will make any headlines - unless she also gives up her Senate seat.

That would not only be a big story but welcome news for what is expected to be a crowded field of candidates hoping to win her seat in a special election, just like Hutchison did 16 years ago.

In 1993 Hutchison was the top vote getter among two dozen candidates and in the runoff she crushed Democrat Bob Krueger whom Gov. Ann Richards appointed to fill the seat Lloyd Bentsen vacated to join President Clinton's cabinet.

But don't count on Hutchison giving up her Senate seat at the same time she makes her candidacy for governor official. Although she is expected to step down at some point, no one knows when it will happen.

Her Republican colleagues in the Senate want her to stay for as long as possible so their party does not lose more clout in Congress. And if she doesn't, she will be pressured to resign so she can be a full-time candidate for governor and let someone else be a full-time senator.

"She can't have it both ways," said Harvey Kronberg, editor of the political newsletter Quorum Report. "If she is running, she will have to step down."
Kay is missing too many votes at her current job to justify keeping her job yet running for a new job simultaneously. She needs to pick one or the other.

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Hey now, campaign characters. Be nice. I know a lot of you on both sides, so I don't want any overly foul language, personal attacks on anyone other than the candidates themselves, or other party fouls. I will moderate the heck out of you if you start breaking the bounds of civility.