George Gervin's Afro
04-01-2010, 08:11 AM
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison ended months of speculation about her political future by announcing Wednesday in San Antonio that she will remain in the Senate for the remainder of her term.
Flanked by two of her staunchest Republican Senate allies, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Cornyn of Texas, Hutchison made the announcement at a five-minute media gathering at Landmark Aviation, and left quickly without taking questions.
Over the past year, as she focused her energies on a bitter, ultimately unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial primary challenge to Gov. Rick Perry, Hutchison repeatedly promised to resign her seat. Most recently, she said she'd leave the Senate immediately after the March 2 primary — win or lose.
On Wednesday, however, Hutchison described her decision to stay in the Senate as an example of putting national interests ahead of her own.
“Something has happened in our country that maybe none of us could have anticipated. There has been an intense concern about the direction of our federal government,” she said, citing the debt, the recently enacted health care reform legislation and stubbornly high unemployment as factors that “caused me to look at my resignation in a different way.”
Hutchison also said the policies of President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress are “taking away the essence of America.”
Hutchison, who has two young adopted children, added that her decision had been difficult on a personal level.
“I really did intend to leave, and for my family it would really be better for me to come home. But the stakes are so high,” Hutchison said.
She thanked McConnell and Cornyn for encouraging her to keep her seat, without pressuring her to make a quick decision.
McConnell called Hutchison “one of our invaluable members” of the Senate, and said that Senate Republicans are breathing “an audible sigh of relief” at the news.
Invoking a famous Revolutionary War-era passage from Thomas Paine, Cornyn said: “This is no time for summer soldiers and sunshine patriots. This is a time when we need all of our most dedicated public servants on hand to fight the good fight in Washington, D.C.”
Hutchison, who was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 1993, won re-election to a third full term in 2006. It runs through 2012.
Initially viewed by many as a frontrunner in her race against Perry, she struggled to counter Perry's depictions of her as a product of Washington politics, and was soundly defeated in the primary.
Since then, there has been increasing pressure on Hutchison by Republicans to remain in the Senate, and Texas' 20 Republican U.S. Representatives signed a letter last week pleading with her to finish her term.
Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie said Hutchison's changes in position on the resignation issue have damaged her credibility.
“We never believed she would leave the Senate, and it's disappointing that she refused to shoot straight with Texas voters,” Richie said.
Hutchison's conflicting signals on her future over the past year have complicated the state's political landscape.
Former Houston Mayor Bill White had been planning to run for Hutchison's seat as a Democrat, but he switched to the governor's race when she made her announcement last year. White is now the Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, an early Republican candidate in the race to replace Hutchison, announced early Wednesday that she would stay in the state Senate.
Other Republicans in the contest include Railroad Commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams and former Secretary of State Roger Williams.
Democratic former Comptroller John Sharp also has been running for the seat. Sharp has said he's in the contest even if it does not occur until 2012.
A Hutchison resignation would have presented both parties with political opportunities.
Perry would have appointed an interim replacement, with a special election later this year. The interim appointment could have enabled the GOP to put a new incumbent in place, rather than searching for a successor to Hutchison in 2012.
At the same time, the Democrats could have benefited from the wild-card nature of the special-election format, which generally features multiple candidates from both major parties.
“Special elections tend to be a bit like billiards. You take your shot and things bounce around in unpredictable ways,” said Bryan Preston, communications director for the Republican Party of Texas. “Fortunately, Kay Bailey Hutchison foreclosed that possibility by staying in the Senate.”
Flanked by two of her staunchest Republican Senate allies, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Cornyn of Texas, Hutchison made the announcement at a five-minute media gathering at Landmark Aviation, and left quickly without taking questions.
Over the past year, as she focused her energies on a bitter, ultimately unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial primary challenge to Gov. Rick Perry, Hutchison repeatedly promised to resign her seat. Most recently, she said she'd leave the Senate immediately after the March 2 primary — win or lose.
On Wednesday, however, Hutchison described her decision to stay in the Senate as an example of putting national interests ahead of her own.
“Something has happened in our country that maybe none of us could have anticipated. There has been an intense concern about the direction of our federal government,” she said, citing the debt, the recently enacted health care reform legislation and stubbornly high unemployment as factors that “caused me to look at my resignation in a different way.”
Hutchison also said the policies of President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress are “taking away the essence of America.”
Hutchison, who has two young adopted children, added that her decision had been difficult on a personal level.
“I really did intend to leave, and for my family it would really be better for me to come home. But the stakes are so high,” Hutchison said.
She thanked McConnell and Cornyn for encouraging her to keep her seat, without pressuring her to make a quick decision.
McConnell called Hutchison “one of our invaluable members” of the Senate, and said that Senate Republicans are breathing “an audible sigh of relief” at the news.
Invoking a famous Revolutionary War-era passage from Thomas Paine, Cornyn said: “This is no time for summer soldiers and sunshine patriots. This is a time when we need all of our most dedicated public servants on hand to fight the good fight in Washington, D.C.”
Hutchison, who was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 1993, won re-election to a third full term in 2006. It runs through 2012.
Initially viewed by many as a frontrunner in her race against Perry, she struggled to counter Perry's depictions of her as a product of Washington politics, and was soundly defeated in the primary.
Since then, there has been increasing pressure on Hutchison by Republicans to remain in the Senate, and Texas' 20 Republican U.S. Representatives signed a letter last week pleading with her to finish her term.
Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie said Hutchison's changes in position on the resignation issue have damaged her credibility.
“We never believed she would leave the Senate, and it's disappointing that she refused to shoot straight with Texas voters,” Richie said.
Hutchison's conflicting signals on her future over the past year have complicated the state's political landscape.
Former Houston Mayor Bill White had been planning to run for Hutchison's seat as a Democrat, but he switched to the governor's race when she made her announcement last year. White is now the Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, an early Republican candidate in the race to replace Hutchison, announced early Wednesday that she would stay in the state Senate.
Other Republicans in the contest include Railroad Commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams and former Secretary of State Roger Williams.
Democratic former Comptroller John Sharp also has been running for the seat. Sharp has said he's in the contest even if it does not occur until 2012.
A Hutchison resignation would have presented both parties with political opportunities.
Perry would have appointed an interim replacement, with a special election later this year. The interim appointment could have enabled the GOP to put a new incumbent in place, rather than searching for a successor to Hutchison in 2012.
At the same time, the Democrats could have benefited from the wild-card nature of the special-election format, which generally features multiple candidates from both major parties.
“Special elections tend to be a bit like billiards. You take your shot and things bounce around in unpredictable ways,” said Bryan Preston, communications director for the Republican Party of Texas. “Fortunately, Kay Bailey Hutchison foreclosed that possibility by staying in the Senate.”