Democrat Bill White picked up an endorsement Friday in the Texas governor's race from the Republican mayor of Grand Prairie.
Mayor Charles England said in prepared remarks that White, who is running against Republican Gov. Rick Perry, would bring Texans together to tackle the state's budget problems. England criticized Perry, portraying him as a divisive partisan.
"We have a governor right now that divides the state into red teams and plays them off each other for the purposes of his political career," England said.
Perry spokesman Mark Miner dismissed the endorsement, saying it would not "hide the fact that Bill White is a liberal trial lawyer." Miner also said Perry would unveil endorsements in coming months that reflect "wide support" throughout Texas.
"We're confident that we'll have support from many people who support the governor's policies," Miner said.
England crossed party lines in 2007 to support his son, Grand Prairie Rep. Kirk England, when he left the GOP to run for his seat in the Legislature as a Democrat.
