TMCnet News
TEXAS-SIZED RACE: Hutchison, Perry wage impressive, expensive battleAUSTIN, Jun 22, 2009 (El Paso Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The coming political fight between two GOP titans, Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, could be a harbinger of things to come nationally for the Republican Party. The 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary in Texas, the biggest of the red states, will likely pit conservative Perry against the more moderate Hutchison. Their showdown comes as the national Republican Party struggles to define itself after major losses in 2008, torn between ideological conservatism and calls for moderation and pragmatism. "That's the essence of the soul-searching the GOP is going through," said Greg Rocha, University of Texas at El Paso political science professor. People across the nation, he said, will be watching to see whether Texas, a Republican bellwether state, sticks with ideologically conservative Perry or chooses a new direction with Hutchison. The choice, experts said, could have a lasting effect on the party's chances for continued success as the demographics in Texas, as in the nation, shift in Democrats' favor. "The Republican Party is the majority party in Texas today, and will be very likely for the coming decade," said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. "But, after that, it is very much an open question." Perry and Hutchison are already lobbing political punches in the form of a barrage of press releases. Perry last week toured the state signing bills he championed during the legislative session. In response, Hutchison's campaign sent out statements criticizing his lack of leadership. As Perry headed Monday to the Alamo in San Antonio to put his ceremonial signature on a measure that will allow voters to decide whether to make it harder for state and local government to take private property, Hutchison's campaign called the trip part of his "Hypocrisy Tour." She chided Perry for holding a ceremony to sign a bill that did not require his signature. Constitutional amendments only require approval from legislators and then are sent to the secretary of state to be placed on the ballot. When Perry went to Houston the following day to sign a measure he boasted would save thousands of small businesses from paying state business taxes, Hutchison criticized Perry for supporting the creation of the tax in 2006. "Everything matters right now," Rocha said. Jillson, though, said the difference between the candidates that may matter most in the long run is their ideological stance. Perry is considered the more socially conservative. He has touted his pro-life credentials, boasted of his initiatives to beef up border security and called for U.S. soldiers to man the Texas-Mexico border to crack down on illegal immigration. Hutchison has focused on pocketbook issues, like skyrocketing tuition at Texas colleges, continuing military investments in the state and dealing with traffic congestion. Jillson said the two exemplify the different factions the GOP is working to unite. "That potential fissure in the Republican Party between social conservatives and fiscal conservatives has always been there ready to be spilt into an open wound," he said. "This race has the potential do that." For Perry, staying ideologically to the right could mean a better chance at winning the primary, where many voters are socially conservative, Jillson said. At least one state lawmaker has called on Perry to move even further to the right. State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, a vitriolic opponent of illegal immigration, is considering his own bid for the governor's mansion if Perry does not agree to take up his torch by cracking down on undocumented immigrants and fighting for states' rights. "The votes that I would be drawing would be from Governor Perry, because Senator Hutchison is to the left of both of us," Berman said. "I do not want to do that. I do not want to take votes from Governor Perry, which would perhaps make him lose this election." Berman said the GOP had become too liberal in its attempts to woo minority voters, and in doing so has alienated thousands of true conservatives. "I believe we should reach out to minorities, but only if those minorities support our political philosophy," Berman said. But attracting minority voters, especially Hispanics who have been put off by some of the GOP's heated anti-immigrant statements, could be key to keeping Republicans in power in Texas and restoring their footing nationally, said William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C.-based, nonprofit public policy research organization. "The country is taking somewhat more of a liberal bent, I guess," Frey said. "I think that will even affect voters in Texas." As the Hispanic population grows and more people from other states move to Texas, Frey said, the political winds in this big, red state could shift more toward the blue. "I think all that means a more moderate, middle-of-the-road electorate in Texas than we've seen before," he said. Jillson said that Hutchison, more moderate than Perry, might be a more palatable choice for those middle-of-the-road voters. And in the long term, he said, having her as the top GOP officeholder in Texas could give the party more staying power as demographics change. Because Texas has been an anchor for the Republican Party nationally for more than a decade, producing leaders from President George W. Bush to former U.S. Reps. Dick Armey and Tom DeLay, Jillson said, the whole country will be watching to see which direction the Lone Star GOP takes in 2010. "The Republican Party nationally is on the ropes, and it shows little ability to ward off Democrats' blows at this point," he said. "They really are searching for new spokesmen and for new themes and have not yet found them." El Paso Republicans seem to be split, too. Some, such as businessman Robert Brown, who has given generously in the past to Perry, have decided to support Hutchison. Others, such as Perry appointee Ted Houghton, a Texas transportation commissioner, are sticking with the governor. El Paso County Republican Party Chairman Michael Moore said he hoped someone would pull out of the race before any political "knock-down, drag-outs." But, he said, a high-profile battle could also potentially be good for the El Paso GOP, which has long played second fiddle to Democrats. "Maybe it'll stir up some people to come out and get to the primaries who might not otherwise," he said. Brandi Grissom may be reached at [email protected]; 512-479-6606. To see more of the El Paso Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.elpasotimes.com. Copyright (c) 2009, El Paso Times, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |