Texas Governor's Race Has Only One Candidate

As a Texas resident, I was looking forward to a real campaign for the Governor's office with Kay Bailey Hutchinson challenging a two-term incumbent Rick Perry in the Republican Primary. Hutchinson is a widely respected lawmaker, the senior US Senator from Texas, and looked to be a formidable opponent to Governor Perry. I can honestly say that I was undecided when I found out that Hutchinson would mount a challenge. Unfortunately, the negativity and lack of direction of Senator Hutchinson's campaign thus far has proven that she has nothing to offer Texans as our governor.

It seems clear that the Hutchinson campaign is based on one simple fact: the Senator does not like Rick Perry. Not his policies, not his administration; him. Her campaign website is filled with pettiness and petulance toward the Governor, unproductively snarking at any public statement or position in which they can paint him poorly. Where are the new ideas? Where are the policy initiatives? Where are the plans? In short, there are none. Just example after example of gossip and idle nonsense that bears very little on governance and is not helpful, constructive, or worthy of such a historic campaign.

As the challenger, it is her responsibility to show me why I should make a change; to present me with a plausible alternative. She has to make a pretty convincing case too, because it is hard to deny that the state of Texas has experienced relative prosperity during this economic recession, creating more jobs in 2008 than the other 49 states combined. Our unemployment rate is over 2 points lower than the national average. What exactly would Ms. Hutchinson change?

Does Texas have its problems? Of course it does. We have an education system that ranks in the bottom half nationally. We have too many uninsured adults as well as a heart-aching number of uninsured children; much more than the national average. This is deplorable and we must do more. Despite this however, Senator Hutchinson has presented no workable ideas, nothing to show which direction she would take us. Without this, I can see no compelling reason to change the leadership of the state of Texas at a time when so many things are going right.

As such, I will be supporting Governor Perry in this election. And I encourage all of my friends and family to as well. I will always support the candidate that offers the best alternative for the future of the state. Right now, I see only one.