Hutchison Meets Campaign Supporters in Austin

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison met with some 300 supporters at a private strategy session Saturday for her 2010 run for Texas governor against incumbent Rick Perry, a fellow Republican who courted anti-abortion activists a few blocks away.

Hutchison said her meeting was the first for her statewide campaign organization. It included members of Congress, local politicians and big-name business people and political donors. She introduced the group's leaders as "people who are going to help me in my quest to be governor of Texas."

Among her supporters and organizers are prominent attorney Pat Oxford and former Perry supporter and businessman John Nau, both of Houston; former Education Secretary Rod Paige, who served in President George W. Bush's administration; and retired baseball star Nolan Ryan and football star Roger Staubach.

Perry, meanwhile, worked to rally his social conservative base Saturday at an anti-abortion demonstration at the Texas Capitol attended by hundreds. As audience members held signs showing a fetus and balloons with the words "Choose Life," Perry thanked them for "commitment to the most vulnerable among us, and that's the unborn citizens of this state, this country and this world."

Gesturing in the direction of Hutchison's gathering across downtown Austin, Perry urged the crowd to shout to let people far away hear them, to "let them know that Texas is here and Texas is pro-life."

"It can get a little lonely standing out here from time to time," Perry said. "But I'll take that heat because I know that people like you are behind me and we are with a noble cause."

Abortion could be a main issue in the Republican primary next year. Perry has said he opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother's life. Hutchison has said she supports a woman's right to an abortion before a fetus is viable outside of the mother's body. On Saturday, Hutchison also said she favors existing abortion restrictions and wants to reduce the number of abortions.

The race between Perry, a former Texas A&M University yell leader seeking his third full term as governor, and Hutchison, a former University of Texas cheerleader who has been in the U.S. Senate since 1993, will likely be expensive and intense. Hutchison suggested to news reporters that she is preparing for Perry to run a hard-hitting campaign.

"I think that we have seen negative campaigns run by Gov. Perry in the past. Am I concerned? It's not going to dissuade me," she said. "I think that's why we need new leadership. I think people are looking for positive, happy warriors. And I'm a positive, happy warrior."

Perry's camp has criticized Hutchison's vote for federal bailout money for the financial industry. Perry's spokesman, Mark Miner, has called her "Kay Bailout."

Hutchison said Saturday she made her decision on the bailout based on the belief that the nation's financial markets could crash without action. She said people in public office shouldn't call each other names.

Miner said he is just telling the truth about Hutchison.

"We're going to tell the truth -- there's only one conservative in this race," he said Saturday. "She's not going to be able to hide behind her policies, whether it's bailouts, abortion or out-of-control spending."

Hutchison said she wants to improve Texas' public and higher education and access to health care. She also wants toll roads built only with local approval or as new lanes if they are constructed along existing highways. She said Texas is fortunate not to have a personal income tax but that this is not a low-tax state when property taxes are taken into account.

Texas is faring better economically than some parts of the country, Hutchison acknowledged.

"But will we be the leading state in 2020? Not if we continue the way we are," she said.

Perry boasts about the number of jobs created in Texas on his watch in part because of his efforts to lure businesses to the state using the Texas Enterprise Fund. On Saturday, he said he is proud of the state's efforts to restrict abortions. He said this legislative session he will work to offer "Choose Life" specialty license plates for purchase and to invest in adult stem cell research.

Although Hutchison has said she plans to step down from the Senate before her term is up in 2012, she said she hasn't decided when that will be. It will be no earlier than the end of this year, but she could wait until the 2010 election, she said.

In December, Hutchison transferred $7.9 million from her federal campaign account into her state fund, giving her an early money lead over Perry. Perry reported having $6.6 million in campaign cash on hand at the end of December.

Perry refused Saturday to discuss Hutchison's campaign organization.

"I'm real focused about what's going on in this building," he said outside of the Capitol. "I am really not distracted at all by what she or her folks may say or do. That's not of interest to me at all."