The Old Eighteen

Bill White considering Senate run

Paul Burka is reporting that Houston mayor Bill White, who is considered a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 2010 Texas governor's race, is waiting to see what Kay Bailey Hutchison does before making a definitive decision on his own political future.  If she decides to run for governor, so go the rumors, he will make a run for her Senate seat in the ensuing special election; but if she decides to stay in the Senate and complete her term, he will run for governor.

I think that he would make a strong nominee for either office, but if he does decide to run for Senate, we'll need someone to step up and run for governor.  Who that will be is anyone's guess, at this point.  But we'll need a strong candidate, because if Kay Bee makes a run for governor, she'll probably beat Rick Perry in the primary, and she'll be difficult to defeat in the general election.

Rick Perry confirms he's running again in 2010

For those of you hoping that Texas Democrats would have a weak opponent in the 2010 gubernatorial election, rejoice!  Rick Perry has announced that he will be running for re-election yet again in 2 years:

When Perry was asked if he could foresee himself, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison all on the ballot in 2010, Perry said he knew that he would be on the ballot.

"I don't know about the other two," Perry said. "You need to ask them."

Asked specifically if he was going to run for re-election, Perry said, "Yes."

During a news conference with other Republican governors, Perry also said that if Republican presidential hopeful John McCain asked him to be his running mate, Perry would refuse.

Perry would seem to be the automatic front-runner for the Republican nomination, which would be good news indeed for Texas Democrats: Perry received only 39% of the vote in 2006 and might have lost, perhaps badly, if he had been running against only one viable opponent instead of three.  But alas, Kay Bailey Hutchison hasn't yet ruled out seeking the nomination herself:

"I am encouraged by the growing number of Texans asking me to return home to run for governor to provide leadership for our state," Hutchison said. "It is too early to make an announcement about the 2010 race. Right now, I remain committed to serving the people of Texas in the United States Senate and helping our Republican candidates win crucial elections this fall."

If Hutchison runs for governor in 2010, she will be a formidable candidate and has a strong chance of taking the Republican nomination from Perry.  If so, she may be hard to beat in November.  But taking down an incumbent in a primary challenge is a hard thing to do, and she might take a pass on it altogether.  Other possible Republican challengers to Pery include Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and Karen Hughes.

If Perry is the nominee, we have an excellent chance to retake the governor's office in 2010.  But regardless of who the Republican nominee, a lot rides on who we choose to represent the Democratic party.  Houston mayor Bill White appears to be the frontrunner so far, but other possible candidates being mentioned include 2006 Dem nominee Chris Bell and former State Comptroller John Sharp.  And there's no telling who else will surface between now and then.  Whoever it is, they stand to benefit from changing demographics, and they might also have a Democrat in the White House to accompany them on the campaign trail.

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(via Burnt Orange Report [1, 2])