Perry Declares GOP Victory; KBH Concedes

See live up-to-the-minute results here.

Gov. Rick Perry will face former Houston mayor Bill White in November for a third full term as Texas governor.  Shortly before 9:30 p.m., Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison conceded the GOP Texas gubernatorial primary to Gov. Rick Perry.

Hutchison told supporters in Dallas on Tuesday night that she called Perry once she believed the election results were clear. She said that "we have fought valiantly for our principles, but we did not win."

The third Republican in the race, Debra Medina, addressed supporters at 9:45 p.m. and said she planned to watch the numbers come in through the evening.

Republican nomination

Perry, who's seeking a third full term in office, spent months battering Hutchison with an anti-Washington message and accused her of being part of a big-spending crowd in the nation's capital. Hutchison countered by saying Perry was trying to stay in office too long, and had allowed arrogance and cronyism to creep into state government.

All three candidates cast themselves as the true conservative. But the contest shaped up to become a bout between Perry and Hutchison in a clash unlike any GOP primary the state has seen since Republicans began taking over state government in the 1990s with the help of George W. Bush.

Perry, a darling of the social conservatives who reliably show up and vote in Texas Republican primaries, forcefully pushed the anti-Washington theme that Hutchison acknowledged worked against her in the current political environment.

Both Perry and Hutchison tried to show just how Texan they were: They donned cowboy hats and western wear during appearances, and declared their fierce devotion to the Lone Star State.

Hutchison initially said she would step down from the Senate by the end of 2009 and focus full time on her run for governor. But she later changed her mind and said she had to stay in Washington, D.C., to battle President Barack Obama and the Democrats on health care. Her continued presence in Washington gave Perry more ammunition to cast her as a congressional insider.

Medina appeared to be building steam in January and part of February, but may have suffered a setback when in response to a question from nationally syndicated radio talk show host Glenn Beck she said there were "some very good arguments" that the U.S. was involved in the 2001 attacks that took down the World Trade Center and killed some 3,000 people.

She later released a statement saying she didn't believe the government played a role in the attacks. But some voters on the campaign trail at Hutchison and Perry events said they switched their support from Medina because of the remarks.

Democratic nomination

With only a handful of precincts reporting, the AP said former Houston mayor Bill White has won the Democratic nomination for Texas governor with 76 percent of the vote.

White defeated wealthy Houston hair-care magnate Farouk Shami, who conceded shortly after 9 p.m., and five lesser-known candidates during Tuesday's primary.

White will face the winner of the Republican primary in the November general election. Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Kay Bailey 
Hutchison and GOP activist Debra Medina are vying for that nomination in a hard-hitting primary that has overshadowed the Democratic race.

Other primary race winners (Republican)
Lt. Governor - David Dewhurst, uncontested
Attorney General - Greg Abbott, uncontested
Land Commissioner - Jerry Patterson, uncontested
Agriculture Commissioner - Todd Staples, uncontested
Controller of Public Accounts - Susan Combs, uncontested
U.S. Rep. District 12 - Kay Granger
U.S. Rep. District 14 - Ron Paul
U.S. Rep. District 32 - Pete Sessions

Other primary race winners (Democrat)
Attorney General - Barbara Ann Radnofsky, uncontested
Railroad Commissioner - Jeff Weems, uncontested
State Board of Education, District 5 - Rebecca Bell-Metereau
U.S. Rep. District 15 - Ruben Hinojosa
State Senate, District 19 - Carlos Uresti
State Rep. District 45 - Patrick Rose

GOP Props 1-5

The AP has also said non-binding GOP Propositions 1-5 all passed Tuesday.  The propositions, which are only used for measuring the opinion of the voting public on the issues listed below, did not appear on ballots for those who voted in the Democratic primary.

Prop 1 -- Photo ID to Vote - PASS
The Texas legislature should make it a priority to protect the integrity of our election process by enacting legislation that requires voters to provide valid photo identification in order to cast a ballot in any and all elections conducted in the State of Texas.

Prop 2 -- Controlling Government Growth - PASS
Every government body in Texas should be required to limit any annual increase in its budget and spending to the combined increase of population and inflation unless it first gets voter approval to exceed the allowed annual growth or in the case of an official emergency.

Prop 3 -- Cutting Federal Income Taxes - PASS
In addition to aggressively eliminating irresponsible federal spending, Congress should empower American citizens to stimulate the economy by Congress cutting federal income taxes for all federal taxpayers, rather than spending hundreds of billions of dollars on so-called "federal economic stimulus."

Prop 4 -- Public Acknowledgement of God - PASS
The use of the word "God", prayers, and the Ten Commandments should be allowed at public gatherings and public educational institutions, as well as be permitted on government buildings and property.

Prop 5 -- Sonogram - PASS
The Texas Legislature should enact legislation requiring a sonogram to be performed and shown to each mother about to undergo a medically unnecessary, elective abortion.

8,234 of 8,236 precincts - 99 percent
x-Yes, 969,705 - 69 percent
No, 438,564 - 31 percent

8,234 of 8,236 precincts - 99 percent
x-Yes, 1,374,620 - 95 percent
No, 70,103 - 5 percent

8,234 of 8,236 precincts - 99 percent
x-Yes, 1,314,684 - 93 percent
No, 97,545 - 7 percent

8,234 of 8,236 precincts - 99 percent
x-Yes, 1,289,692 - 92 percent
No, 113,406 - 8 percent

8,234 of 8,236 precincts - 99 percent
x-Yes, 1,328,320 - 93 percent
No, 102,103 - 7 percent

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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