Kay Bailey Hutchison's political two-step gets under way next week with an 18-city tour — starting in her old high school in La Marque — to announce that she'll seek the Republican nomination for governor against an incumbent who's held the job longer than anyone in state history.

By the end of the week, she'll have stopped in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Nacogdoches, Waco, Tyler, Dallas, Wichita Falls, Amarillo, Lubbock, Laredo, Harlingen, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Abilene, Midland, and El Paso to tell people why she's taking on fellow Republican Rick Perry.

Exploratory committees for high office are common. This one has been unusual, in part because Hutchison has come close to running for Guv twice before, and in part because she's been dropping hints about this particular race for so long.

But the interest is not all about her.

Hutchison has been able to hold the political mob's attention mainly because so many other political moves will be based on hers. You know the drill by now: If Hutchison quits, so-and-so quits to run for her job, freeing their job for so-and-so, and so on and so on.

She's got two important announcements left, and she's telegraphed both of them. First, she's going to announce — apparently next week — that she is, in fact, running for governor. That's in case you weren't convinced by the fact that she raised $6.7 million during the first six months of the year for her state campaign account. Second — and she has indicated this will happen in October or November — she's expected to resign from her Senate seat to devote her full time and attention to the race for governor.

That's the announcement that has everybody so tense. Even some of the people who hope she'll quit early don't think it makes political sense for her to do so. But it would allow her to focus — without all of the distractions of Washington, D.C., and health care and Congress, etc., etc., etc. — on the race against Perry.

And as soon as she quits — assuming she does so, and does it before the early January filing deadline for next year's political races — she'll lose everyone's attention for a bit. The focus of the political class will turn to a special election for U.S. Senate, to Gov. Perry's appointment of a temporary stand-in for Hutchison, and all the musical chairs that follow.

How They'd Succeed

It's August and there's not all that much going on in state government at the moment and so some talkers have turned to what might happen if Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst leaves office early to become a U.S. senator (either as an appointee or as the winner of a special election for that job), should Kay Bailey Hutchison quit early to run for governor.

We'll keep it short: Senate President Pro Tempore Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, would be constitutionally obligated to call the Senate together within 30 days of Dewhurst's departure to elect an interim Lite Guv from their own ranks. The winner of that election would hold the post until voters picked a replacement in the next elections.

This last arose when George W. Bush became president and Rick Perry became governor. The Senate elected Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, to the corner office. He didn't run for that office when the full term came up; Dewhurst won the 2002 election and has held the job since then.

If any of this happens this time, the senator elected to lead the Senate probably won't have the same amount of juice Ratliff had. He got to serve during a legislative session. If Dewhurst moves on, his interim successor will serve only until an elected Lite Guv takes over at the beginning of the regular legislative session in 2011.

The Judge's Day in Court

Sharon Keller, presiding judge of the state's highest criminal court, gets a hearing next week (Monday, in San Antonio) on her handling of a last-ditch attempt to stop the execution of Michael Richard in 2007.

His lawyers say Keller refused to accept their legal filings in the case after a five o'clock deadline; Richard was killed a short time later. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct charges that she violated the state constitution and the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.

State District Judge David Berchelmann Jr., acting as a special master, will hold a hearing and make recommendations to the Texas Supreme Court. Unfavorable rulings could result in her removal from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, where she's the chief judge.

All Plugged Up

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson plans to give Texas Railroad Commissioners a billion things to think about next week, including the reason for their existence.

During the commission's regular meeting next Tuesday, Patterson will challenge commissioners to hold a show-cause hearing and consider levying a 10-digit fine against ExxonMobil for deliberately destroying viable oil wells in South Texas and then filing false documents about those wells with the commission.

How commissioners choose to act, he says, could determine the future health of the state's Permanent School Fund, which is fed with taxes on oil and gas leases overseen by the General Land Office. Much of the oil that will feed the PSF, he says, will come from wells that are reopened after they've been plugged for a while. And oil producers need to have confidence in government documents that describe the plugging of wells that will someday be reopened.

"If there's no reasonable expectation that what is at the Railroad Commission is accurate, then the state of Texas takes a big hit," Patterson says.

Exxon spokesperson Margaret Ross says the company behaved responsibly and has done nothing wrong.

"The allegations are groundless and paint a false and misleading picture of ExxonMobil's involvement in the O'Connor oil and gas leases in Refugio County," she says.

The political context spices up the scenario. Two of the three commissioners, Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams, are making runs at the U.S. Senate, assuming incumbent Kay Bailey Hutchison steps down for gubernatorial campaign purposes. And chairman Victor Carrillo's term expires after the 2010 general election. All three, like Patterson, are Republicans.

Patterson is seeking reelection and will be on the ballot as well. He says he's trying to defend the education money linked to the wells. "I'm a statewide elected official. I can talk about anything I want to talk about," Patterson says.

The Railroad Commissioners are staying out of the Exxon conversation for now.

"We're treating this as any kind of complaint that we would get," commission spokesperson Ramona Nye says. "It's not at the commissioners' level yet."

Houston oil and gas lawyer Jeff Weems, who's running for Railroad Commissioner as a Democrat — challenging Carrillo — agrees with Patterson that commissioners should take a close look at allegations that Exxon filed false reports.

"I think it's quite an important thing for the commission to consider, because that is certainly within their authority and certainly within their realm of responsibility also," says Weems, who says he is familiar with the details of the case.

The case involves Exxon, the Emerald Oil Company and descendants of the wealthy O'Connor family, which owns the oilfield. Court documents say that in the 1950's, the family negotiated a very favorable royalty rate (50 percent) with Exxon to produce oil from about 100 wells on their Refugio County land.

Over the decades, according to court filings, Exxon determined it could not economically produce oil on that land at the high royalty rate. After failed negotiations with the family, the company plugged its wells (finishing in 1992) and subsequently filed reports with the Railroad Commission indicating how it plugged the wells.

The family leased out a portion of the old Exxon field to Emerald, which began the process of re-entering plugged wells, relying on the documents Exxon had given the commission. Emerald workers found those documents to be inaccurate. In about half of the wells, workers encountered materials other than the concrete plugs they expected, including cut casings, "junk" (a technical term meaning anything that's not supposed to be in the borehole) and explosives.

Emerald and the family took Exxon to court, alleging the company had deliberately sabotaged the wells to prevent subsequent producers from exploiting the resources. A jury ruled against Exxon, awarding the family $18.6 million in damages. The Texas Supreme Court reversed the jury's decision without addressing the facts of the case, ruling that the O'Connors waited too long to complain. The parties have filed motions for the court to rehear the case. Patterson hopes justices will issue a ruling on a rehearing by the end of this year.

The well-plugging reports that Exxon initially filed with the commission are at odds with what the company's representatives testified in court, Patterson says.

"They've now set themselves up. [The reports] don't reflect what they testified in trial court they did. They can't win this one," Patterson says.

The Railroad Commission has the authority to issue fines of $1,000 per day for filing fraudulent documents, and $10,000 per day per well for waste or sabotage, Patterson says. (Start multiplying $10,000 by the number of wells and years, and you'll get to $1 billion pretty quick.)

Even more important than a one-time record-breaking fine, Patterson says, is ensuring that companies wishing to reenter plugged oil wells can rely on Railroad Commission documents about the plugged wells.

"Reentry is how we're going to be producing oil in Texas from now on," he says. "There are no new oilfields."

Comptroller Susan Combs, in a letter to the court that sides with Patterson, says the earlier ruling "could reduce the flow of the state's revenues" and writes that the impact on the so-called Rainy Day Fund — filled with oil and gas production taxes — could be an even bigger fiscal threat. And because that's used to shore up the state in tough times, she argues, any damage to the Rainy Day Fund could then prompt bond-rating agencies to lower their expectations for Texas bonds, raising the state's borrowing costs.

She didn't attach a number to that prediction.

Weems isn't sure why commissioners haven't questioned Exxon and the other parties sooner, saying that the commissioners should have been aware about false reports, since the lawsuit is well known among oil and gas law practitioners. He said allegations of sabotaging wells are rare, characterizing them as "urban legends."

"They certainly know about it now. They certainly need to hold hearings now," Weems says.

It is the time for the Railroad Commission to flex its muscle, Patterson says.

"If Exxon prevails, the signal is made, the message is sent that you don't have to put down the truth in documents at the Railroad Commission — 'Don't worry about our rules and regulations. We're not going to bother to make sure you do them right,'" Patterson says. "The next question is, why have a Railroad Commission?"

— by a Texas Weekly Correspondent

Running Shoes

Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, says he'll run for reelection next year. Kuempel, first elected in 1982, had a late night heart attack in a Capitol elevator during the last legislative session and almost died. But he was back in his seat before the regular session ended, worked through the short special session that followed, and wants to stay. He's the chairman of the House Licensing & Administrative Procedures Committee, where gambling and alcohol bills go and which could have a lively session in 2011, when fiscal issues could force a fresh look at gaming in Texas. And he's one of a handful of Republicans who helped San Antonio Republican Joe Straus overthrow House Speaker Tom Craddick at the beginning of this year.

• Rep. Joe Crabb, R-Atascocita, won't seek reelection next year. Crabb, elected in 1992, has thought about leaving before but apparently intends to retire for real this time around. He's a Methodist minister and told supporters he's going to do some preaching, some business and spend more time with his family. Dr. Martin Basaldua and Humble ISD trustee Dan Huberty are among the tire-kickers in that HD-127 race. Republicans dominate that district in state elections; it's the 22nd most Republican House district on the Texas Weekly Index.

• Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, wants to remain Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston. He'll seek election to a second term next year. But there's a twist. Lookit: "If an opportunity presents itself to serve in the United States Senate, I will seriously consider it at the appropriate time, but my sights are set on the Texas Senate."

• Freshman Rep. Tara Rios Ybarra, D-South Padre Island, will get a Democratic primary opponent next year in HD-43 — one who's got the backing of former Rep. Juan Escobar, who is in turn the guy knocked off last year by Rios Ybarra. The new candidate? J.M. Lozano, of Kingsville, who announced his candidacy on YouTube. He's a businessman who operates three franchise restaurants.

• U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, finished third (with 13.9 percent) in the 1993 special election that put Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate. He might take another swing at it, according to an aide, Sean Brown, quoted in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Congressman Barton continues to watch the developments in Texas politics with an interested eye. He believes serving the entire state of Texas as their next senator would be an honor. If and when an opportunity presents itself, he will discuss it with his wife, family and supporters before making any decision."

• Kinky Friedman is starting to move around, in a political sense, with fundraisers headlined by Willie Nelson and Three Dog Night. The Nelson gig is on September 16 at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano. For $1,000, supporters get to "Eat with Willie, drink with Willie, listen to Willie, get autographs from Willie, get silly with Willie, argue with Willie, dance with Willie — anything else depends on you and Willie!" Two days later, Three Dog Night will play in San Antonio for $250 per person, with the proceeds going to Friedman's campaign. He's running — if he runs — as a Democrat this time. He finished fourth in the governor's race in 2006, when he ran as an Independent.

• Republican Ted Cruz picked up endorsements from more than 50 members of the Texas Federation of Republican Women, including, he says, the majority of the group's leaders who are allowed to take sides in GOP primaries (some of the officers are prohibited during their terms). The former state solicitor general is running for attorney general on the assumption that his former boss — current AG Greg Abbott — runs for something else next year.

• The Mid-Cities Democrats up in the DFW area will host Rep. Kirk England, D-Grand Prairie, later this month, and the billing is provocative: "Rep. England will speak... about the recently ended 81st Legislative Session, his first as a Democrat, and will discuss what it might take to bring other currently serving moderate Republican legislators to the Democratic Party."

Pork Patrol

You can get a quick look at congressional earmarks — who got them, how much they got, and so on — on a new database assembled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

You can rank them by member of Congress, amount, and so on. For instance, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, ranked 17th among senators in 2009, winning $46.7 million in earmarks without help; she ranked 21st when you total the earmarks she got in cooperation with others ($243.8 million). U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is down the list a bit, with $4.3 million in solo earmarks and $140.7 million with others.

Among Texans in the House, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, led the way with $38.4 million in solo earmarks and $151.8 million working with others (that was sixth overall in the U.S House). U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Surfside, was next, with $80.8 million in earmarks cooperating with others and $14.9 million solo.

Five members of the Texas delegation — U.S. Reps. Louis Gohmert, R-Tyler; Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas; Kenny Marchant, R-Carrollton; Michael McCaul, R-Austin; and Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon — didn't request any earmarks in 2009.

Political People and Their Moves

Bill Allaway is stepping down as president of the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, a job that will now be filled by Dale Craymer, TTARA's chief economist and the head of TTARA's Research Foundation. Allaway plans to do some work for TTARA and for other clients (he's remaining in the same offices).

Obie O'Brien moves up to vice president of government affairs at Apache, where he's been lobbying since 1992.

Jennifer Sims, who'd been running external affairs at the Department of Family and Protective Services, jumps to the Department of State Health Services to head something called the Office of Priority Initiative Coordination.

Press Corps Moves: Chris Tomlinson is joining the Texas Observer after 14 years with the Associated Press, most recently doing international stories for the wire service. He's replacing Brad Tyer, who won a reporting fellowship at the University of Michigan.

Deaths: Austin attorney and former judicial candidate Mina Brees, 59, in Denver. The cause of death hasn't been disclosed.

Quotes of the Week

Former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, asked on Austin's KOOP-FM whether he's considering a run for Texas attorney general as an alternative to a possible run for governor: "Elected lawyers have to be careful what they say, and I'm tired of watching my mouth."

Luis Vera, attorney for LULAC, on the Texas Democratic Party's "Texas two-step" primary system and LULAC's charge that it discriminates against Hispanics, quoted by KERA in Dallas: "That's the irony of this whole court fight: they want to claim that they are champions of the Voting Rights Act, but as long as it applies to everybody else and not themselves. And that's a pretty sad situation."

Mark Miner, a spokesman for Rick Perry, after the Associated Press revealed that Perry claimed a homestead exemption for a College Station home where he's never lived: "Although approved by the Brazos County Appraisal District, Gov. Perry today has chosen to withdraw the homestead exemption for his house in College Station. The governor plans to reimburse Brazos County $183.16 in tax savings for the year 2008."

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Houston, telling constituents why she talked on a cell phone while one of them asked her a question, quoted in the Houston Chronicle: In Congress, we have to multi-task."

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Texas Weekly: Volume 26, Issue 30, 17 August 2009. Ross Ramsey, Editor. Copyright 2009 by Printing Production Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. One-year online subscription: $250. For information about your subscription, call (512) 302-5703 or email biz@texasweekly.com. For news, email ramsey@texasweekly.com, or call (512) 288-6598.

This week, bloggers are flooding the Internet with talk about the two gubernatorial contenders who currently hold public office. Guess who? Elsewhere in the blogosphere, there's chatter about people who probably won't be governor in 2011 (barring thaumaturgy), folks interested in different positions and a Houston congresswoman who's in the news — again. Wrapping it up is a r3volutionary real estate venture and other curiosities.

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He Said, She Said

The Dallas Morning News' Trail Blazers releases the "Texas Heat Index," a series of posts fact-checking claims by political candidates and the like. Their rating system, measured in peppers, goes from one (mostly true) to four (totally false). The first eight Heat Index posts are on the race for governor, concerning Gov. Rick Perry's claims about the 2003 budget shortfall (two peppers), border security (two), unemployment stimulus funds (three) and border security (three), plus U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's words on the Texas economy (one), Trans Texas Corridor (two), business taxes (three) and Texas' dropout rate (four).

Off the Kuff says someone should make concert tour-style t-shirts featuring dates and places where Hutchison has talked about running for governor. "[T]his tour has been going on for what, eight years? At least? You may have to use really small print to do it justice," he says. Meanwhile, memoirs from a young conservative is doing some recruiting for Perry's reelection campaign. Her pitch: "Texas is #1 in job creation with seven out of every ten jobs created in the US. are right here in the Lone Star State." (According to Trail Blazers' Heat Index, that figure should be six in 10.)

A Pew poll has mixed results for Perry, reports the Houston Chronicle's Texas on the Potomac. Voters' opinions of state governments are getting worse, but Republicans like state governments better than Democrats do. The Houston Chronicle's Texas Politics links to a list of Hutchison's earmarks, while Rick vs. Kay announces they're taking some time off from blogging for business reasons. And Perry appointee Texas Transportation Commission chair Deirdre Delisi says private toll roads are just great, according to the Morning News' Dallas Transportation Blog.

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An Unknown, a Non-Candidate, and a Secessionist

The Austin American-Statesman's Postcards talks to Democratic governor explorer Felix Alvarado, whose sister Maria Luis Alvarado was the Democratic nominee for Lt. Gov. in 2006. Kuff calls that primary contest between her and Ben Grant "a referendum between random unknowns," and hopes to avoid that this time around, while Burnt Orange says Mr. Alvarado could be another Victor Morales.

Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, put an end to gubernatorial speculations by saying he's going to run for reelection instead. The most surprising part of the whole thing is when Texas Observer Blog calls Watson "tall." BurkaBlog says the worst part for Democrats is it means Watson's not running for Attorney General (and a seat at the redistricting table). "[T]his election could set the Democrats back by a full decade. I see no signs of life," Burka says. And mean rachel wins Headline of the Week award for a post title that sums up the frustrations of at least some Texas Democrats, probably­ — "With candidates like these, who needs opponents?"

Code Red posts an interview with GOP gubernatorial candidate Larry Kilgore, who's running on a pro-secession platform. Highlights: Kilgore attended Robert E. Lee Elementary in Amarillo; he served in the U.S. Air Force and once volunteered to wear a key to participate in a nuclear weapons launch; "The USSR peaceably separated and the USA can accomplish the same feat," he says; and, when asked about his chances to win, answers, "2006 was Goliad. 2008 was the Alamo. 2010 is San Jacinto."

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Running Time

Seeing that Houston Mayor Bill White's bumper stickers say "Bill White for Texas" (rather than "Bill White for U.S. Senate" or something like that), Trail Blazers asks the campaign if the candidate's real intent is to switch over to the governor's race. No, a spokesperson says, indicating that White used a similar slogan in his race for mayor, "Bill White for Houston."

Capitol Annex says Humble ISD school board president Dan Huberty is the first person to jump into the race to replace retiring incumbent Rep. Joe Crabb, R-Atascocita. Not so fast — former Houston city councilwoman Addie Wiseman, a Republican, told ABC13's Houston Political Blog that she wants Crabb's seat (beating Huberty to the punch by several days). As we've written, Dr. Martin Basaldua is also a contender for the heavily Republican district. It's so red that Annex wonders if Democrats should even bother fielding a candidate.

El Paso attorney Mike Torres is thinking about challenging Rep. Marisa Marquez, a fellow Democrat, according to the El Paso Times' Vaqueros & Wonkeros blog, who posts her "30" column here, on her last day as an EPT-er before joining the Texas Tribune. Meanwhile, Democrat Chuck Silverman, a 2006 judicial candidate, is making a run for Harris County judge, according to Capitol Annex. And Lone Star Times writes about Paul Simpson, who wants to be chair of the Harris County GOP.

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Phoning It In

The town hall attendee whose questioning was interrupted by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's phone conversation now wants Jackson Lee to debate her on health care reform or share the stage with her at a forum — Lone Star Times thinks that sounds reasonable. The same blogger attended that meeting and writes about it here. Meanwhile, Jackson Lee referred to herself in the third person during a CNN interview on the topic, Potomac reports. Here's more on the subject from Potomac. And Potomac blogger Helen Thomas writes that conservatives are lying about health care, and Pres. Barack Obama is being weak.

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Odds and Ends

Ellis County Observer makes note of the latest attempt by U.S. Rep. Ron Paul supporters to create a town of their own in West Texas. This time, it's a place called "Freedom County," somewhat near Abilene. (Here's the website for an earlier effort called "Paulville.")

Texas received an "F" (that doesn't stand for "fantastic") in a national study on evolution education, reports TFN Insider. Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, couldn't get Texas Workforce Commission chair Tom Pauken to say how much taxes on employers are going to increase next year. Pauken's answer was, "It's a moving target." Trail Blazers says that translates to, "Employers, get ready for steady hits to your wallets..." And Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, told a McAllen audience that an estimated (by him) $10 billion to $15 billion state budget shortfall in 2011 will prompt legislators to consider legalizing gambling, rather than raising taxes or cutting services, according to his A Capitol Blog.

"A Texas judge ruled Tuesday that Microsoft cannot sell one of its flagship products, Word, in the United States because of patent infringement," the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Microsoft Blog says (via Austinist). And here's a dispatch from the Netroots Nation conference in Pittsburgh from Burnt Orange Report.

Miffed that they couldn't get media credentials to cover the Texas Legislature last session, Texas Watchdog says it's not fair to discriminate against online publications. A couple of commenters (including former Texas Weekly contributor Karie Meltzer) points out that some online-only outlets (including Texas Weekly and Quorum Report) haven't had trouble obtaining press passes.

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This edition of Out There was compiled and written by Patrick Brendel, who hails from Victoria but is semi-settled in Austin. We cherry-pick the state's political blogs each week, looking for news, info, gossip, and new jokes. The opinions here belong (mostly) to the bloggers, and we're including their links so you can hunt them down if you wish. Our blogroll — the list of Texas blogs we watch — is on our links page, and if you know of a Texas political blog that ought to be on it, just shoot us a note. Please send comments, suggestions, gripes or retorts to Texas Weekly editor Ross Ramsey.

We don't plan to run every single press release that comes out of the campaigns for governor (or any other), but today's first jab from Rick Perry, taken with Kay Bailey Hutchison's formal campaign announcement show what we can expect to hear for the next eight months.The two are running for governor in the GOP primary (if, somehow, you didn't know that). Hutchison started an announcement tour of the state this morning. Perry's camp responded with this:

Statement On Senator Hutchison’s Announcement by Texans for Rick Perry Spokesman Mark Miner LA MARQUE - “Sen. Hutchison also appeared in La Marque in 1993 to launch her first Senate campaign, pledging to control spending and reduce government influence. In the 16 years since, she has violated, ignored and flip-flopped on virtually every promise she made to voters, giving Texans little reason to believe her rhetoric today will result in anything different. “Her years in Congress are defined by record-setting debt, earmarks, bailouts and an unwillingness or inability to lead on a single important social or fiscal issue. She is now the ultimate Washington insider, voting for 98 percent of all federal spending bills, supporting thousands of earmarks, and championing the budget-busting $700 billion federal bailout. “Sen. Hutchison is part of the very Washington, D.C. establishment that has abandoned conservative principles, embraced massive spending, debt and bureaucracy, and resulted in the near-destruction of the national Republican Party. Texans, especially Texas Republicans, cannot risk Sen. Hutchison’s brand of indecisive, inconsistent and debt-ridden Washington leadership shattering our balanced state budget or undermining our conservative successes. “Rick Perry is the only proven conservative in this race with a solid record of cutting tax rates, reducing lawsuits and leading Texas to become the strongest economy in the nation. Governor Perry’s Texas is known for balanced budgets, better public schools, a streamlined, predictable regulatory climate and a Rainy Day Fund expected to reach $9 billion. “Gov. Perry has consistently delivered on his common-sense conservative promises, opening the doors of prosperity and opportunity for all Texans. The Texas economy has soared and our children’s achievement has grown during Gov. Perry’s tenure; the federal government has meanwhile become more intrusive into citizens’ lives and the national economy has cratered during Sen. Hutchison’s tenure. Leadership matters. “Sen. Hutchison’s entire career has been characterized by perpetuating excessive pork-barrel spending, saying one thing in Texas and doing another in Washington, and supporting irresponsible policies that are driving our nation’s economy and the Republican Party’s future into the ground.”

Texas Supreme Court Justice Scott Brister will leave that post next month to join a private law firm. Brister, appointed six years ago by Gov. Rick Perry, said he'll join the Austin office of Andrews Kurth on September 7. He was an appellate judge in Houston before joining the Supremes.

Tom Pauken isn't running for U.S. Senate, but he says he might be interested in the job if Kay Bailey Hutchison steps down and nobody from his part of the GOP gets into the race.

"I've gotten increasingly frustrated... we had a strong Reagan majority and we've squandered that capital," he says.

Pauken, a former Texas GOP Chairman who currently heads the Texas Workforce Commission, aims his criticism at Republicans in federal office and is particularly focused on Dallas mayor Tom Leppert, a Republican who's been mentioned as a candidate and who, in Pauken's view, isn't a true conservative. And the TWC chairman let the folks in the Pink Building know he's thinking about becoming a candidate.

But Pauken hasn't pulled the trigger. "I'm not interested in a kamikaze race," he says.

Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn is officially running for governor in next year's Republican primary.In a speech on a hot June afternoon with the Texas Capitol and a small Catholic church forming her backdrop, Strayhorn did the expected thing, jumping into the race against Rick Perry. She slammed the incumbent as a "drug-store cowboy," saying the state can do better, and offered herself as the alternative. (Download a copy of the speech here.) Here's an excerpt from her announcement speech, including what you might call the money shot (the punctuation is hers): "Texas is great, but we can do better. Now is time to replace this do-nothin' Drugstore Cowboy with One Tough Grandma. I am Carole Keeton Strayhorn and I stand before you today as a Republican candidate for Governor in 2006. It is time for a change. It is time to send Governor Perry packin'. I am a fiscal conservative. I am a common sense conservative. I am not a weak leadin', ethics ignorin', pointin' the finger at everyone blamin', special session callin', public school slashin', slush fund spendin', toll road buildin', special interest panderin', rainy day fund raidin', fee increasin', no property tax cuttin', promise breakin', do-nothin' Rick Perry phony conservative."

The third Republican expected in that race, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, dropped out a day before Strayhorn actually announced, but the comptroller's intentions and timing had been public for several days. Perry, asked about Strayhorn's entry into the race, said his attention is on other matters: "School reform, teacher salary increases, making sure that the technology gets into the classroom, making sure that the textbooks get into the classroom -- this is what's important here. This is about one of the most, if not the most, important public policy issues that we have in this state, and politics is just white noise in the background, and that's where it should stay."

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison formally announced her bid for governor of Texas this morning in La Marque, starting a 19-stop, week-long tour of the state with a series of broadsides at the incumbent and a promise to return the state to Republican glory.Under Republican Gov. Rick Perry, she said, the state has the highest property taxes in the U.S., state debt has doubled, college tuition is "skyrocketing", dropout rates are high, the number of uninsured children is high, and private property rights are at risk. She said Texas unemployment outstrips the region and that more people lost jobs here last month than in any other state but California. She said she'll address those problems, but offered few specifics. Hutchison said her focus will be on five areas: fiscal policy, education, transportation, health care, and government reform. She said Pre-K and two years of college should be part of the state's basic education package. She'd increase the size of the state's transportation board and end anything that resembles Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor. She said she would try to build a health care system that is the "exact opposite of what is proposed in Congress today." And she said governors of Texas should be subject to term limits — a jab at an incumbent who is seeking four more years after ten in office. She offered one of those political line-in-the-sand promises that could make or break her later, if she wins this time: "I will spend less, tax less, and borrow less." She closed with a promise to rebuild the Republican Party in Texas — she cited losses of seats in the Texas House as evidence of decay — and then a call for improvement of the state: "We can do better." Hutchison's campaign offered the copy of her speech, which follows the audio of her Austin announcement at the alumni center at the University of Texas:

It is with pride and humility for history that I announce today that I am a candidate for Governor of Texas.

Texas is like no other place on earth. It started on March 2, 1836, when our forefathers declared an end to tyranny with the Texas Declaration of Independence. Among the signers was my great, great grandfather, Charles S. Taylor. The great men who signed that document put their lives on the line, and their fate in the hands of God. Why did they do it? Because they yearned for freedom and they believed in Texas. Today, 173 years later, I'm running for Governor because I believe in Texas. And I know we can do better.

Let me start by saying this about Rick Perry. He's a dedicated public servant. I know he loves Texas. But now he's trying to stay too long — 14 years, maybe longer.

And after ten Perry years, where are we?

Property taxes? Highest in the country.

State debt? Doubled.

Tuition? Skyrocketing.

Dropout rates? Among the highest.

Uninsured children? Leading the nation.

Private property rights? At risk.

Ten years is enough. We can do better.

In my administration, we will tackle these challenges. We will be specific, and direct. We will lay out a clear, conservative vision for the future of Texas. As Governor, I will focus on five areas: Fiscal policy, education, transportation, health care and government reform.

For starters, I will spend less, tax less, and borrow less. Just look at Governor Perry's new tax on business. It's been called a 'job killer'. More than 200,000 Texans lost their jobs this year. In the month of June alone, Texas lost more lost jobs than any state but one. And now we have the highest unemployment in the region. The Governor said he was 'proud' to sign his record tax increase. Well, I don't call a job killing tax increase something to be proud of. I call it a tragic mistake.

Taxes have increased and government has grown. Over the last ten years, Texas has added 30,000 new workers to the state payroll. And to make a political point, we turned down half a billion in federal money, sacrificed it to other states, and now we're borrowing three times as much and sticking Texas business with the tab. That's not conservative. That's irresponsible. We can do better. It's time for results, not politics.

As governor, I want to help create an education system that prepares our children for the jobs of tomorrow. To begin, we will no longer accept one of the highest dropout rates in the country. Our students deserve quality teachers who are well educated and trained, and schools where bad teachers aren't just transferred, but let go. But good teachers should be rewarded and they should have continuing opportunities for professional development. I will propose incentives for math and science teachers to earn a degree in what they teach.

In Texas, discussion of basic education should no longer be K through 12, but pre-K through 14. We have to look for ways to support early childhood education efforts on the front end.

And every child should have the support and encouragement to attend college. But those who don't, must be trained with marketable skills to find a good job.

Ignoring these fundamental challenges is a recipe for mediocrity. Or even worse: failure. We can do better. And our future depends on it.

Today, TXDOT is the most arrogant, unaccountable state agency in the history of Texas. I will reform and expand the Commission. It should be more representative of all regions of our state. And it will seek and embrace local input. It is time to return to our tradition of free, quality highways and roads.

Then there's the Trans-Texas Corridor. The biggest land grab in the history of Texas. And the Governor wanted to turn it over to a foreign company to build toll roads. Well, they can call it the Trans-Texas Corridor. Or they can call it something different. But here's what I will call it when I take the oath of office, dead, buried, history. We can do better.

We must build a health care system that will leverage the vast resources of our state to bring health care options to the uninsured, and assistance to business owners so they can afford to provide it. And know this, while I'm in the Senate, I will spend every moment fighting this massive government takeover of our health care system. If you want to know what health care in Texas will look like when I'm governor, just imagine the exact opposite of what is proposed in Congress today. We will offer carrots, not sticks. Help, not fines.

There's another reality here in Texas. Too often our state government is doing what it shouldn't, and isn't doing what it should. When we have systemic abuse at the Texas Youth Commission, and fight clubs at state schools for the disabled, the last thing we need is government mandating vaccines for 6th grade girls or playing politics with a great university like Texas A&M.

We need results, not politics. And that starts with term limits for Texas governor. For any Governor, eight years is enough. We can't afford fourteen years of one person appointing every state board, agency and commission. It invites patronage. It tempts cronyism. And it has to stop, now.

As Governor I will give our agencies a top to bottom scrubbing. I will appoint a Commission 2025 — respected scholars, business, agricultural representatives, and community leaders — to look at Texas state governance. What we should keep, what should go, and what should change.

Finally, let me say this to every Texas Republican. For the last decade, the Republican Party in Texas has been shrinking. We're losing elections we used to win easily. In Austin, we've gone from 88 seats in the House to 76 — just two away from losing the Texas house.

As Republicans, we can continue down the road of shrinking majorities. Or we can inspire, unite, and grow our party. Rebuild it from the bottom up, and reach out to Texans and say, 'If you are for limited government, lower taxes and less spending, we want you in the Republican Party, we welcome you and want you to be active in our cause.' That's how we will win elections, keep the majority and be worthy to lead our great state. And that's what we're going to do if I'm heading the Republican ticket.

It's time for a governor for all Texas. Join me and together we will make the Texas of tomorrow everything our children deserve.

This is a special time in Texas. A time for principled leadership. A time for reform. And a time for results. We can do better. And together, we will.

Austin photographer Bob Daemmrich followed gubernatorial candidate Kay Bailey Hutchison for part of the first day of her announcement tour.

All photos Copyright 2009 Bob Daemmrich

Rose Vela, an appeals court judge from Corpus Christi, will run for a spot on the Texas Supreme Court.

She won a 2006 election that made her the first Republican ever to serve on the 13th Court of Appeals. She was a district judge before that, and is the daughter-in-law of the late U.S. District Judge Filemon Vela Sr. She announced for the Place 9 seat, left open this week by Justice Scott Brister's resignation.

Debra Lehrmann, a family district court judge who lives in Colleyville, is running for the Place 3 seat now held by Harriet O'Neill. Lehrmann is a Republican and will be in the primary with three appeals court justices: Rebecca Simmons of San Antonio, Jim Moseley of Dallas, and Rick Strange of Eastland.

Billy Briscoe will challenge Rep. Al Edwards, who lost a seat in the Texas House in 2006 and won it back in 2008. Briscoe, an attorney, worked for former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and spent years with Austin-based Public Strategies Inc. He's from Houston, and grew up in what is now HD-146. He says he's not so much running against Edwards as he is trying "to gravitate to where I can have the most impact." Edwards was first elected to the House in 1978. He got beat by Borris Miles in 2006, but with that two-year exception, has been in the House for the last three decades.

Rep. Robert Miklos, D-Mesquite, picked up a reelection endorsement from CLEAT — the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas. His predecessor in that seat was vulnerable in part because of votes on legislation CLEAT and other police groups were watching.

Rep. Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria, will seek a seventh term in the Texas House. That's HD-30.

Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, will be in this season's contestants on the Dancing with the Stars TV show.

Former Rep. Ron Wilson, D-Houston, had a stroke and is recovering in an Austin hospital. He's 55 years old.

Jennifer Lee Cafferty is the new staff attorney for original proceedings at the Texas Supreme Court. She was most recently with the Baker Botts law firm.

Democrat Tom Schieffer hired Yaël Ouzillou and Rebecca Leal — the fundraisers who dragged the sack for Hillary Clinton in Texas and nearby states during the 2008 presidential race and raised money for Senate candidate Rick Noriega of Texas last year.

Gov. Rick Perry appointed:

• Nandita Berry and Tilman Fertitta of Houston, and Jarvis Hollingsworth of Sugar Land to the board of regents at the University of Houston System. Berry is an attorney at Locke, Lord, Bissell and Liddell. Fertitta is chairman and CEO of Landry's Restaurants. Hollingsworth is an attorney with Bracewell and Giuliani.

• Lubbock County Sheriff David Gutierrez to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

• Robert Marbut of San Antonio chairman of the OneStar National Service Commission, which works with the OneStar Foundation and the Americorps Texas program. Marbut is president of Haven for Hope and a prof at Northwest Vista College.

• Durga Agrawal and Dennis Golden of Houston, and Wallace Hall Jr. of Dallas to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Agrawal is president and CEO of Piping Technology and Products. Golden is an optometrist. And Hall is president of Wetland Partners LP.