Democrat Bill White received the first editorial backing from a major Texas newspaper of the 2010 general election campaign for governor on Sunday as the Houston Chronicle endorsed his candidacy.
In an editorial published in Sunday's edition, the Chronicle said the former Houston mayor would bring stronger managerial credentials to the state government than those offered by the Republican incumbent, Gov. Rick Perry.
"The governor has shown a distaste for dealing with budget details, fobbing them off on the Legislature and even suggesting in a recent news conference that Comptroller Susan Combs had better uses of her time than issuing deficit projections," the Chronicle editorialized.
White brought "innovative financial solutions, a passion for environmental protection and a strong bipartisan and ethical commitment" to his tenure as mayor, and can do the same as governor, the editorial said.
The Chronicle said that, as Houston mayor, White fought to compel state environmental regulators to strengthen air quality monitoring around industries. The newspaper also projected that White would make improving education in the state of Texas a priority.
Perry has broken with tradition this year and chosen not to seek endorsements from newspaper editorial boards.
