What’s the best evidence that you are no longer a fringe candidate? It’s when the once-leading contender can no longer afford to ignore you. And that’s what we see in this statement today from Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison about her Tea Party rival in the primary contest against incumbent Governor Rick Perry:

Austin, TX – Today, at a campaign stop in Carrollton, Kay Bailey Hutchison made the following statement in response to Debra Medina’s 9/11 comments:

“I know exactly who was responsible for the horrific attacks on September 11th – Al Qaeda terrorists who declared war on America. To suggest otherwise is an affront to the men and women who are sacrificing their lives to root out the terrorists in Afghanistan and around globe. Ever since that tragic day, I have fought tirelessly to ensure that we hunted down the Islamic extremists who target our nation. No one stood closer to President Bush and Vice President Cheney in their efforts to defeat the terrorist threat to our freedom.”

It turns out that Medina is making things pretty uncomfortable for Hutchison. One recent poll, in fact, has them virtually tied in the three-way race. Then again, Hutchison has done a lot on her own to diminish her chances in a contest that was once expected to be one of the most interesting anywhere this year. Hilary Hylton explains what is going on in this story for TIME.com.

UPDATE: It would appear the incumbent (and frontrunner) is also feeling the heat from Medina, as evidenced by this statement from Governor Rick Perry: