Governor Perry Vs. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

It is another election year in Texas and look and mud fly! One of the early questions we have this year is who is going to be the republican candidate for Governor?

The incumbent, Governor Perry is seeking re-election but the big challenger is Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. In true Texas fashion Governor Perry is ripping into her Washington record while Senator Hutchison is attacking his record as Governor.

Most Texans are asking themselves, "What's the difference between Governor Perry and Senator Hutchison?" But I think there is a bigger picture to consider.

Do the normal issues even matter this time?

The way I see it, Texas is doing fine now. Yes we have problems but we're not nearly as bad off as many other states. Sure there are a few things about Governor Perry that make my blood boil. For example I can't go anywhere without taking a stupid toll road and it would have been nice to see more leadership during the last legislative session where hundreds of bills died over the voter ID filibuster.

It's not that I prefer Perry over Hutchison, I'm sure she would do a great job. But she would do an even better job representing us in Washington. Before we even think about caring about either of their records we need to answer the question of what happens to Senator Hutchison's Senate seat? Until I hear a good answer for that question I just can't see supporting Senator Hutchison regardless of the specifics of their records.

Why it matters what happens to Senator Hutchison's seat

With Obama and the Democrats on the attack we need a strong and experienced Senator in Washington, now is not the time for on the job training. Senator Hutchison seems to agree since that is one of her stated reasons for not stepping down yet as quoted in this AP article on Foxnews.com.

We also can not afford to risk any seats in the 2012 elections. We will probably pick up some seats in 2010 but the winds can change and we may be facing another tough battle in 2012. Based on previous election and considering the current climate I'm sure Senator Hutchison could beat just about anybody the Democrats pit against her. But could the same be said for whoever may replace her? A brand new candidate can easily turn things into a toss up as we've seen with Murtha's seat.

What Senator Hutchison needs to do to win the Texas gubernatorial primary and how Governor Perry can keep her from doing it.
Senator Hutchison needs to do more than convince voters that she is the better choice for governor. She also needs to convince us that her Senate seat will be safe and that Texas will be well represented by her replacement.

The problem is that we have no idea who her replacement will be. The bigger problem is that Perry is the one that gets to make that choice if and when she steps down. That is where Perry has her checkmated. She can't talk about the question she most needs to answer because it is Perry's to answer.

Sources

"Texas Senator Plans to Hold Onto Senate Seat Until After Gubernatorial Primaries", Associated Press

"Murtha's Death Turns Seat Into Likely Battleground", FOXNews.com