Hutchison holding on to Senate seat

By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – Out on the stump last week, Kay Bailey Hutchison kept the focus on how much better Texas would be if voters replace Gov. Rick Perry with her, while remaining coy about how much longer she’ll stay in the Senate.

But now that she is officially running for governor, it’s time to ask how much she can accomplish in Washington – substantively or politically – as a lame duck in a toothless GOP minority.

The Senate is on recess until after Labor Day. Next month will be consumed by debate over the 2010 budget. Republicans are a 60-40 minority.

“She hasn’t accomplished much over the 16 years so it shouldn’t be much of a change,” scoffed Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “We need somebody in there who can devote 100 percent of their time to the job of being U.S. senator for the people of Texas, and if she’s not going to do that, she should resign.”

Hutchison has been studiously vague about her timing. She says she’ll leave by year’s end, but last week said she won’t pick a date before Oct. 1.

“She wants to stay in the Senate as long as possible and do as much as possible to fight Obama’s government takeover of health care,” said spokesman Jeff Sadosky, ticking off a number of goals Hutchison aims to accomplish before leaving the Senate. She’ll also fight cap-and-trade legislation opposed by Texas’ energy industry; push a bill allowing prison officials to jam cellphones; and “ensure that Texas infrastructure projects are protected through the next fiscal year.

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