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Governor: Perry meets White in November
March 03, 2010 |
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Governor: Perry meets White in November
By Zahira Torres / Austin Bureau
Posted: 03/03/2010 12:00:00 AM MST
AUSTIN -- Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday clinched the Republican nomination for an unprecedented third term as the state's chief executive, ending a vicious primary battle with U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
His win means a November matchup against former Houston Mayor Bill White, 55, who is trying to reclaim the seat for the Democratic Party after 15 years of Republican rule.
Perry's victory also could lead to the end of Hutchison's political career. She promised to step down from the U.S. Senate, regardless of the how the governor race turned out.
The third Republican candidate for governor, Tea Party activist Debra Medina, maintained a healthy margin in the polls. That has some analysts speculating that she could make a run for Hutchison's senate seat.
Perry, who turns 60 this week, outmaneuvered Hutchison, 66, in a race that was reduced to who was more Texan and a stronger conservative.
He carried on that theme in his victory speech, in which he took aim at Washington, D.C., bureaucrats and said the election's results held deep meaning.
"The message is pretty clear: Conservatism has never been stronger than it is today, and we are taking our country back one vote at a time," Perry said in Driftwood, Texas.
Perry did not mention White in the speech, but seemed to be pointing to the general election by saying that Texans would not allow President Barack Obama and other Democrats in Washington, D.C., to control their state.
Hutchison, who conceded early Tuesday night, told supporters at a Dallas campaign party that she fought "valiantly" for her principles.
"A contested primary will naturally leave some hard feelings, but I ask my supporters tonight all through Texas to join me and unite behind Governor Perry," Hutchison said.
Medina did not offer congratulations to Perry. Instead, the former Wharton County GOP chairwoman told her supporters that her campaign inspired people across the state.
Early on, many considered Hutchison a favorite to win the Republican Party nomination for governor and end Perry's decade-long tenure.
Her campaign gathered support from key Texas Republicans who had served in both Bush administrations. She also leaned on her record of bringing federal dollars to Texas during her 16 years in the Senate.
But Perry transformed those political assets into Hutchison's weaknesses, defining her in numerous ads as a Washington insider quick to spend federal tax dollars.
Her attempts to convince voters that Perry was a governor who rewarded his supporters with political appointments did not catch on as well.
If White is to have a chance at victory, he will have to do a better job than Hutchison of redefining Perry, said Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.
Perhaps White already senses that. He went on the offensive and gave supporters in Houston a preview of Perry's likely tactics. White said Perry would claim credit for new jobs while shirking responsibility for unemployment rates.
He said the governor would focus attention on debt created by federal lawmakers and ignore the state's financial troubles.
"We know now your tactics of divide and conquer," White said. "We understand about the tactic of distracting from the truth. We understand that no Texan is entitled to claim monopoly on Texas values."
Henson said White would face a steep uphill battle to reclaim the governor's mansion for the Democrats.
Perry will have to hope that the tide against Democrats in Washington does not diminish and that Texas' economy does not falter, Henson said.
White, a former U.S. deputy secretary of energy under President Bill Clinton, handily defeated six other candidates, including millionaire Farouk Shami, for the Democratic nomination.
Shami, 67, conceded the race in a statement that did not mention White.
Shami said he would continue to fight for the people he met on the campaign trail and carry on his efforts to bring jobs to Texas.
He did not say whether he would make good on promises to start solar panel manufacturing plants in El Paso and other Texas cities.
Zahira Torres may be reached at ztorres@elpasotimes.com; 512-479-6606.
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