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Texas Sen. John Cornyn issued a tough critique this afternoon of Gov. Rick Perry's effort to tar Kay Bailey Hutchison as a creature of Washington, calling that "unfair." He also voiced the hope that Hutchison stays in the Senate until her term expires in about 22 months – long past the most recent deadline she has set for a potential resignation. "Gov. Perry was able to posture ... Full story

The high-profile Republican race for governor helped draw the most voters to a Texas primary election in 20 years – and perhaps set a record for a GOP primary. The Texas secretary of state's office said Wednesday that slightly more than 2.1 million, or 16.5 percent of registered voters, cast ballots in the Republican and Democratic primaries. That total was the highest since 1990 and a big ... Full story

After months of attacking U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday that she's fighting "the good fight" against the Obama administration and should stay in the Senate. "I think it would be in Texas' best interest for the senator to stay there, to continue to fight the good fight and, you know, finish her term out, frankly," Perry said in an interview with ... Full story

If this week's primary election in Texas is any indicator, incumbent Republicans can breathe a little easier. Despite a handful of Tea Party challengers, all 11 of the incumbent House Republicans facing challengers came out on top. In the lead-up to the election, James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, said he heard legislators asking each other, "You got a Tea ... Full story

Texas Primary Election 2010 and Results.  Yesterday was the primary election for the governor of Texas, and two-time incumbent Rick Perry won the bid for the Republican party over Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson.  Perry’s bid was met with over 50% of the votes, avoiding a run-off election. In the beginning, Hutchinson was favored to win, but the current Texas governor wooed the voters and obtained his ... Full story

The North Texas congressional delegation held off challenges in Republican primaries, many beating back Tea Party opponents. And 86-year-old U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Rockwall, beat five contenders in his bid for a 16th term representing Rockwall County, part of Collin County and northeast Texas. No Democrats in North Texas had contested congressional primaries. Dozens of Republican candidates, including most challengers, tried to appeal to voters energized by the ... Full story

Right to the end, virtually until the polls closed, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison kept a game face as her yearlong quest to oust a sitting governor came to a head. Runoff or rejection – it was in the hands of voters. Far earlier than expected, the answer became clear. "It has been a long road and a hard campaign, but tonight we fell short," she ... Full story

Rick Perry, riding a wave of anti-Washington fervor, declared a decisive win Tuesday, sweeping away both a Republican standard-bearer and a Tea Party-fueled insurgent on his quest to continue as the state's longest-serving governor. With rival Kay Bailey Hutchison conceding, Perry appears to have bypassed a financially and unity-draining runoff and taken an unprecedented third GOP nomination for governor. He now faces former Houston Mayor Bill ... Full story

Now that the Republican candidates for governor have traveled the state to pitch their ideas and credentials to Texas residents, all that's left is to make sure voters get to the polls. Rick Perry's campaign has a radical approach that eschews traditional voter turnout efforts in favor of extensive use of social media networks to win Tuesday's GOP primary. Haven't seen a Perry yard sign? There aren't ... Full story

With only two days left to change the course of the Republican primary for governor, Kay Bailey Hutchison argued Sunday that the party's other candidates would fare better with her at the top of the ticket than with Rick Perry leading the way. Hutchison, addressing about 60 people at Country Burger, offered as salvation the restoration of the Republican Party in the state's urban centers, where ... Full story

Last minute calls are being made, hands are being shaken and babies are being kissed. Tomorrow is election day. Parker County voters will join voters across Texas Tuesday in picking both major party nominees for political leadership at both the state and local levels. Polls open a 7 a.m. Tuesday at 43 precinct sites in Parker County, and votes may be cast until 7 p.m. A total of 10 ... Full story

Gov. Rick Perry was back in Austin Sunday night after stops in East and North Texas — mining for votes to win Tuesday's primary election without a runoff. Although billed as an official visit to Tyler to thank law officers for arresting two suspected arsonists in a string of recent church fires, everything is political two days from the primary. Perry denied politicizing the tragedy. "If someone ... Full story

Rockwall County voters will choose from four Republican county judge candidates in the March 2 primary.No Democrats are running, so November will be a walk-over for the candidate who emerges from the slate of incumbent Chris Florance and challengers Kevin Fowler, Jerry Hogan and Ken Jones. Florance said serving a four-year term sets him apart from the others. "I have on-the-job experience," he said. "I'm not sure ... Full story

The race for Texas House District 105 is drawing a lot of green as Republicans fight to keep Irving red and Democrats try to turn it blue. And nearly two-thirds of the money pouring into campaign coffers is coming from outside of the city. The candidates disagree on the reasons for the outside contributions and what they portend for the November general election. But all four agree ... Full story

By bus, car and plane, three Republican candidates travel a parallel universe, cutting swaths through the state, on the path – each hopes – to becoming the next Texas governor. In coffee shops, restaurants and school auditoriums, they sell their vision, repeat their best lines and link arms with camera-toting supporters. They zip from town to burb, shaking hands and urging votes, hoping for time before ... Full story

It began as a battle of the titans, with Rick Perry — the longest serving governor in Texas history — being challenged in the GOP primary by the state's senior U.S. senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison. But as the multimillion-dollar contest comes to a close, Perry's bid for another four-year term appears to hinge not only on Hutchison's strength but on the fate of the third candidate ... Full story

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Kay Bailey Hutchison made a brief campaign stop in this city Saturday afternoon, touting plans to create a better education system and calling for fewer taxes in Texas. The U.S. senator is challenging incumbent Gov. Rick Perry, who is running for his third four-year term. Perry already holds the record for the longest-serving governor in state history. “Gov. Perry had nine years,” Hutchison said, ... Full story

If Gov. Rick Perry wins another term, he might owe a debt of gratitude to Glenn Beck. In the topsy-turvy world of Texas politics, the TV and radio bloviator interjected himself into the race as, get this, the voice of reason. He did so last week by asking the right question of Debra Medina, who had been surging so much she threatened to overtake Sen. Kay ... Full story

Texas is expected to gain at least three congressional districts next year, but it won't benefit the Panhandle/South Plains. More than a dozen counties in the region have had massive population losses in the past decade, members of the Texas House Redistricting Committee learned earlier this month. Three officials, including the director of the Dallas Region of the U.S. Census Bureau, told the 15-member panel that although ... Full story

Starting tomorrow, Texans can vote in what is likely to be the most contested Republican gubernatorial primary in state history. But voters in 14 counties won't be able to vote for incumbent Rick Perry or for either of his challengers, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison or conservative insurgent Debra Medina. If GOP voters in those counties want to vote in the gubernatorial race, they'll have to ... Full story