Texas Gov Gets Grief Over Stimulus Rejection

Perry and KBH face off; Tea Party mounts challenge in Fla.

(NEWSER) - The 2010 primaries will see the GOP repairing its identity and soul-searching among Democrats. The 10 most important races, according to Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post :

1. Texas governor, R: Rick Perry is running for an unprecedented third term, and voters seem to approve. But Kay Bailey Hutchison is a popular, crafty, and well-funded opponent.
2. Florida Senate, R: The looming battle between Gov. Charlie Crist and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio is being closely watched as a bellwether of the rift between GOP moderates and the insurgent Tea Party movement.

Will stay put to fight health care reform, cap and trade

(AP) - Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is challenging Texas Gov. Rick Perry for his job, is planning to keep her US Senate seat until after the state's March gubernatorial primary. Hutchison, a Republican, plans to tell Republican women in a speech in Galveston today that she is stepping down in 2010 because she is needed in Washington to fight against Democratic proposals to limit carbon emissions and overhaul the health care system. More»

Texas senator says Rick Perry has had his chance

(NEWSER) - Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced her bid for Texas governor today and began a 5-day string of stumping appearances around the state, the Dallas Morning News reports. Talking at her old high school, Hutchison attacked fellow Republican Gov. Rick Perry for allowing property tax rates to rise and for failing to address problems in state education. “Ten years is enough,” she said. “We can do better.” More»

(NEWSER) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry thinks this union of states we call America is a pretty good thing, but he warned that Washington better not take it for granted, the Dallas Morning News reports. "There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it," he told reporters after addressing the anti-tax, anti-big-government tea party in Austin. "But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that." More»

Constituents fear losing out on stimulus dollars over politics

(NEWSER) - Opposing the stimulus’ expansion of unemployment benefits may be good PR, but there’s one constituency it’s not playing well with: unemployed people. “It just seems unreasonable,” one jobless Texan tells the New York Times, “that when people probably need the help the most, that because of partisan activity … [Gov. Rick] Perry is willing to sacrifice the lives of so many Texans.” More»