Senate

Kay Bailey Hutchison Calls It Quits

By Adam Sorensen | @adamsorensen | January 13, 2011 | +

The three-term Senator from Texas announced today that she won’t seek reelection after-all. From the Houston Chronicle:

In an open letter to Texans, Hutchison said she wanted to live “full-time in Texas with my family” and was “forever grateful for the privilege of working for you in the United States Senate.”

…

“I intended to leave this office long before now, but I was persuaded to continue in order to avoid disadvantage to our state,” she said.

Her decision may well touch off a Republican scramble for the vacant seat; former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst are likely suspects to jump into the the race, among a handful of others. A retirement in Congress is often a boon for the other party, but some Republicans may actually be sighing in relief. Hutchison, with the Tea Party nipping at her heels and the bruises from her failed gubernatorial bid still fresh, would likely have endured the high-profile bloodletting that comes when an incumbent faces a competitive primary. Now that she’s moving on, the eventual GOP nominee will have a gentler transition to the general election. Former Comptroller John Sharp and ex-Houston Mayor Bill White, another vanquished foe of Rick Perry, are possible candidates on the Democratic side.

Related Topics: 2012, hutchison, 2012 Election, Congress, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Senate

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  • apr2563

    http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/01/whatever_it_takes_3.php
    .

    Over the last few months, we’ve brought you news that prominent social conservative Bryan Fischer has blamed gays for the Wikileaks disclosure, told readers that Obama wants to give America back to the Indians, declared that bears are a threat to our Judeo-Christian culture, declared that no new mosques should be built anywhere in America and insisted that Hitler preferred using gay soldiers since they had “no limits.”

    And just yesterday, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (doing everything he can to get right with the right) went on Fischer’s radio show to declare that he’d push to reinstate DADT if he were elected president.

    .
    Hutchison would have been primaried. This is what you have to do in the Republican world today.
    .

  • newfreedomblog

    Nice TROLL work, april2563, I am impressed.

  • apollyon07

    No, she wouldn’t have. At least, she would not have been close to losing a primary if she were subjected to one. KBH has always been popular in Texas and would have absolutely cruised to re-election.
    .
    It saddens me to see someone great leave Texas politics, but I appreciate her years of service.

  • http://grapemusing.blogspot.com/ grape_crush

    No, she wouldn’t have. At least, she would not have been close to losing a primary if she were subjected to one.

    Another opinion on that:

    “Just this week, the Dallas Morning News published a poll showing the three-term senator’s approval rating dropping below 50% statewide, and down to just 56% among Texas Republicans.

    Public Policy Polling’s Tom Jensen added, ‘The fact that someone like Hutchison who has generally been among the more popular senators in the country and has always won by wide margins has been at least partially pushed out by the Tea Party is indicative of a new reality for Republican Senators — pretty much no incumbent is safe if these folks decide to target them.’

    Hutchison, by all appearances, didn’t want to walk away from public service, but it seems she didn’t have much of a choice — her conservative voting record wasn’t enough to protect Hutchison from her very conservative party.

    It’s a stark example of Republican politics in the 21st century.”

  • sue_n

    KBH just isn’t crazy enough for us down here these days, and she’s just not good enough at fear-mongering. She would’ve been toast.
    .
    Once upon a time, she was wildly popular, yes, but that was before she got run over by Gov. Goodhair’s machine and now permanently has “Kay Bailout Hutchison” tattooed on her forehead. Her failed campaign for governor proved that she didn’t really understand how completely we’ve lost our minds down here. She kept trying (well, once she actually decided to start campaigning) to engage Perry on issues, while he just went around talking smack and trying to out-Tea Party the Tea Party.
    .
    I have no idea who the Dems will put up (White’s already saying he won’t run), but I feel sorry for whoever it is, because he/she doesn’t stand a chance.
    .
    Whatever happens, it’s gonna be ugly.

  • Cliff

    Seems like there was a Texan commenter here who was bragging about how awesome Texas was doing, economically, a year or so ago. The first state to pull out of the recession, and all that.
    .
    Not hearing a lot of that anymore.

  • allthingsinaname

    Whatever happens, it’s gonna be ugly.
    .
    TX is already ugly, considering that a Dem doesn’t strand a chance in Hell, this news is devastating.

  • sue_n

    Devastation is the status quo down here these days. Our comptoller just released her biennial report on the budget, and we’re looking at a $27 billion deficit. And this in a state run purely on Republican financial principles: cut taxes and spend as little money on services as possible.
    .
    For the first time in a long time, the state may actually have to start cutting money to schools. Now, we’ve never poured much money into schools, but we’ve at least held steady on and kept our hands off the little we do give. That’s probably gonna change. And tuition on our state colleges and universities is probably gonna jump, because they’re gonna get their funds slashed, too.
    .
    And the lege is actually considering cutting out Medicaid. Not cutting, but cutting it out entirely. Now, I know that fits right in with the GOP “screw the undeserving poor/filthy immigrants” meme, but for folks who work in social services administering Medicaid programs, well, I guess it’s the unemployment line for them, too.
    .
    We run a bare bones budget down here; nothin’ for nobody. And we still can’t make it work. Texas is living proof, or ought to be, that Republican principles of “tax cuts for everybody!” are fatal. Government costs money, even a government that does as little as possible.
    .
    John Cornyn ran for re-election claiming, “We want to do for the rest of the country what we’ve done for Texas.” The rest of the country should be very, very afraid.

  • allthingsinaname

    When you don’t want Government, you don’t want help or services. We will build a football stadium with Public Funds, but something we really need…………? Why is that? Industry has a way of promoting what it wants, the rest of us doesn’t matter.

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