TX-Sen: Kay Bailey Hutchison Announces She Won't Run for Re-Election in 2012

The Rightward Lurch Begins (0.00 / 0)

Phillip:

She voted against the Dream Act because it was required to be invited to attend GOP club meetings for the next 2 years.

I think it is interesting that she has made this announcement in the first week of the state legislative session.  You think the lurch to the right was already whiplash inducing; it will be very interesting to see how far right Abbott, Dewhurst and the usual list of GOP Senate hopefuls move to the right now.

As to what Democrats should run ... I hope John Sharp still has money in the bank and is interested.  

Given the propenisty for the Grand Old Tea Party to nominate some Sharron Angle, Carl Paladino or Christine O'Donnell types, I believe if he were our candidate then we would have our best chance.

Sharp v. Medina ... . That would be real fun.

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by: Eric Roberson @ Thu Jan 13, 2011 at 20:16:29 PM UTC

And in 2012... (0.00 / 0)

...KBH announces her intention to file for reelection. She was for it before she was against it.

As to what Democrat should run. Bill White?

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by: John McClelland @ Thu Jan 13, 2011 at 20:37:04 PM UTC

White and Sharp are the obvious suspects, but what about Edwards? (3.00 / 1)

Back when both White and Sharp were running for Senate, I thought that Sharp was a better fit for governor and that White was a better fit for Senator, but they're both solid candidates who would do OK against an extremist GOP nominee like Dan Patrick (but would probably be trounced my a GOP establishment figure like Dewhurst).

I'd like to see Chet Edwards give it a shot.

Jim Dunnam would be a good senator, and can run freely now that he's not in the Texas House, but he's almost certainly too liberal to get elected in the current political climate. Likewise, I'd love to see Kirk Watson go to the Senate someday, but 2012 is too soon. To have any chance at all of winning Hutchison's seat, we need a credible moderate, like Edwards or Sharp.

As for the DREAM act, Hutchison has been a fairly solid GOP team player, and I think that her instincts are not to buck the decisions of the GOP caucus unless it's something that she cares particularly strongly about. She may personally think that the DREAM act is a good idea, but once the fight is framed as Dems vs GOP, she wants the GOP to win.  

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by: LSadun @ Thu Jan 13, 2011 at 21:19:03 PM UTC

I agree ... (0.00 / 0)

Edwards would be awesome too.

Dunnam is a great candidate, too.  So is Allen Vaught.  Just to name a few

Too many good candidates with experience are suddenly available.

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by: Eric Roberson @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 13:20:40 PM UTC

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How many times before? (0.00 / 0)

I will believe it when she doesn't file. Until then, well, how many times before has she said she wasn't running, was resigning, then staying for the good of all Texans?

If she doesn't run she will have finally done something for the good of all Texans. The only thing she will have done for the good of all Texans.  Everything else she has done has been for the good of just a few Texans.  

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by: Baby Snooks @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 00:25:02 AM UTC

Two good GOP options for Senate (0.00 / 0)

Debbie Riddle and Leo Berman. Would be a great primary debate!!!

Ok, really...I would be surprised if Dan Patrick doesn't jump into this race. He's got an uphill battle, but heck if Medina can almost pull a GOP run-off in the Gov position, Patrick can probably get the teabags behind him and make it to the last two standing and hammer the establishment candidate with crazy talk that will ring well with the LCD's in the base.  

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by: Brad M @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 04:13:33 AM UTC

Patrick (0.00 / 0)

Dan Patrick's winning the GOP nominee would be both our biggest chance of winning this seat and the biggest chance of having a senator who embarrasses the state even more than the State Board of Education (which is getting better, BTW).  

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by: LSadun @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 04:32:10 AM UTC

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Maybe in 2012 (0.00 / 0)

Maybe in 2012 we can nominate a Democratic candidate who's got a chance to win.  'Bout time we had a Democratic senator again--remember, this used to be Ralph Yarborough's seat.

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by: dj @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 04:52:35 AM UTC

Not Sharp (0.00 / 0)

I'm tired of John Sharp playing with Republicans! He worked to unseat Patrick Rose this last period and has even been a sponsor for a fundraiser for Jason Isaac, the quasi-Tea Party Representative from Hays County. I understand that Sharp and Rose have bad personal history but I still find it unacceptable to support Republicans so openly and then expect to be the Democratic nominee for KBH's seat.  

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by: katiebellmoore @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 14:28:45 PM UTC

Here's a novel idea: (0.00 / 0)

Let's run a DEMOCRAT.

That would pretty much disqualify Sharp & Edwards, and I'd be fine with that.  

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by: Robert Ryland @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 15:05:46 PM UTC

Interesting ... (0.00 / 0)

Obviously, there are at least 2 wings in the party.  

I still would prefer a Sharp/Edwards/Vaught style Democrat.  However, for purposes of this discussion, I understand being ideologically in the center that I am in the minority on this website.

So, is U.S. Trade Ambassador (former Mayor) Ron Kirk "Democratic" enough for you and the liberal wing of the party, and still moderate enough to win this Center-Right state?

What does working for the Obama administration do for any potential Kirk candidacy in this state?

Certainly, drafting the S. Korean Free Trade Agreement is a good resume item for a Senate Candidate in this state (on top of being a great Mayor and super lawyer).

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by: Eric Roberson @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 16:22:04 PM UTC

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I'd love a Ron Kirk candidacy (0.00 / 0)

I'm one for running a liberal candidacy this year. Not because that's what I'd prefer in the Senate (though it is) -- but because we keep on running moderate campaigns and getting blown out. Let's try something different.

I'd vote for Ron Kirk.

"Let us tenderly and kindly cherish therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write."  -  John Adams

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by: Michael Hurta @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 19:31:39 PM UTC

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Give Edwards credit (0.00 / 0)

He's far to your right, and far to my right, but he was far to the left of his district. In terms of usefulness to the Democratic agenda, as measured by voting record vs. tilt of the district, he was one of the best in the country.

One of the goals of Delay's 2003 redistricting was to eliminate moderate white Dems, so that the Texas Democratic party would forever be associated only with minorities and liberals, and would never be able to win anything statewide or in districts outside of South Texas and the big cities.  Let's not do Delay's job for him!

Where the electorate will support a true blue liberal, as in Austin, let's elect them. 3 cheers for Lloyd, for Kirk, and for our State Reps! But where it won't, let's take what we can get.

Sure, I'd rather win with (say) Kirk Watson than win with Chet Edwards, but I'd MUCH rather win with Edwards than lose with Watson.  

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by: LSadun @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 18:06:58 PM UTC

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Is it Strama Time? (0.00 / 0)

The Texas Obama has to take his shot at some point, and the chances of the GOP nominating a loony to run against (Patrick!) are high.

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by: AustinExcile @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 17:31:01 PM UTC

Not likely (3.00 / 2)

Mark Strama, like Kirk Watson, is safe where he is, but will instantly be branded as an Austin liberal if he runs statewide. For all his political skill, I can't see him trying to make the jump. I think it's far more likely that Mark will run for Congress some day (depending on how the district lines are drawn and when Lloyd decides to retire), or for the State Senate, if Kirk moves up or out, and that in the mean time he'll sit tight in the Texas House.  

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by: LSadun @ Fri Jan 14, 2011 at 17:57:17 PM UTC

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Strama good locally first (0.00 / 0)

I agree that Strama would have a really hard time statewide at this point. He's relatively unknown outside the Austin/Travis County area or outside of progressive circles.

Dewhurst is probably going to make the leap and run for the seat which will really make it tough for any D. Dewhurst is probably the most solid of the R candidates to run and appears to be getting the national nod. I just saw the DMN posted that Dewhurst gets the thumbs down from the tea party. That, by itself, signals he would appeal to most Texas voters who would support a more moderate Republican than Cornyn.

Back to Strama I think it's really important we start building a bench of good statewide candidates and follow the path to get them there. Too often we have our own favorite local hero and feel we can pull a Hail Mary and run them statewide. In San Antonio we have Sen. VDP. In Austin you have your own heroes. Houston and Dallas have theirs.

The point is these are great locals but they don't play well just yet at the statewide level. We need to grow some for that.

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by: RBearSAT @ Sat Jan 15, 2011 at 00:44:29 AM UTC

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The Challenge (3.00 / 1)

Of course, the challenge is that when you can't win a down-ticket statewide race - say railroad commissioner - for a number of reasons like fundraising, straight-ticket voting, etc. There is no mechanism for us to raise-up talent in the traditional way.

That means that we need to find alternative means of cultivating leaders with wide-name rec. So the TDP convention needs to be made a bigger deal, the party needs to groom a few members as the persistent public face, etc. It is really a time for creative leadership in the party... People like Strama, VDP, the Castros, need to be in the lead.

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by: AustinExcile @ Sat Jan 15, 2011 at 16:32:05 PM UTC

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