By FITSNews || Not all the “bums” are in need of throwing out, apparently.
Especially when voters think that the only viable option to replace them is an even bigger bum …
Accordingly, two-term Texas Gov. Rick Perry – a fiscal conservative who spent the better part of the last eighteen months courting Tea Party advocates in an effort to shore up his right flank – mauled U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson in a Lone Star State showdown that ended up being every bit as anti-climactic as pre-election polling indicted.
In fact, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, Perry currently has 51 percent of the vote – or enough to avoid a costly GOP runoff.
Hutchinson finished with a disappointing 30 percent, while tea party favorite Debra Medina finished third with 19 percent, which was about where each candidate was polling prior to the election.
After winning a second term four years ago with just 39 percent of the vote (in a four-way race), Perry was given up for dead by many political analysts – particularly when the popular Hutchinson (who earned 62 percent of the vote in her last statewide election) declared her intention to challenge him.
In fact, Hutchinson briefly led Perry in the polls last September when she announced her candidacy, but she saw her support collapse as the mood of the public turned against Washington politicians.
Hutchinson’s losing campaign was managed by longtime Palmetto political consultant Terry Sullivan, who also engineered former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s fourth place finish in the 2008 South Carolina GOP presidential primary.
By billybob March 3, 2010 at 8:31 am
Let’s not forget about how he took a million dollars from Greg Ryberg when he was running for treasurer. Where Ryberg did not even get into the runoff with Ravenel.
By billybob March 3, 2010 at 8:35 am
Oh wait a minute, I forgot to mention Bob Staton. Who lost to Karen Floyd without a runoff. So let’s see the statewide candidates Terry Sullivan has ran into the ground, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Mitt Romney, Greg Ryberg, Bob Staton. All of these candidates had plenty of money and a portion of that money went right into Sullivan’s pocket.
By Liberty for Me March 3, 2010 at 8:49 am
Evidently even Texas isn’t serious(yet) about turning this country around….I expected as much.I think the 20% Medina got is a sign though that slowly they are starting to get it.Unfortunately it will take a much greater economic collapse before everybody understands how screwed up this country is….
By countryboy March 3, 2010 at 8:57 am
Too bad Sullivan didn’t run Obama’s campaign.
By PalmettoCPA March 3, 2010 at 9:05 am
Wow. I still can’t believe Hutchinson only pulled 30% of the vote, and the tea party candidate (who was largely dismissed by the media) took 19%.
By Genomic Repairman March 3, 2010 at 10:31 am
Medina didn’t carry the TEA party vote exclusively as Perry was one to hitch his wagon onto the party early when he was doing public events with Sanford. So Perry pulled some of the TEA party votes away from Medina as I saw yesterday when I voted. I am also sure that most if not all Aggies cast their vote for Perry. And lets face it Hutchinson ran a campaign for the governors seat in Texas from all the way in D.C. So it was really bound to shake out this way. But kudos to Medina for being pretty successful as a grassroots candidate running against two other well established ones.
By tamu88 March 3, 2010 at 1:08 pm
I believe I previously predicted all the Aggies would vote for Perry.
By Genomic Repairman March 3, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Wow tamu88, a shocking and surprising revelation. Almost as unique as the sun rises in the east.
By tamu88 March 3, 2010 at 5:20 pm
GR: It does?