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June 5, 2004
Hutchison Fires Preliminary First
Shot at Perry
with Pledge to Oppose Gambling in the State
By
Mike Hailey
Capitol
Inside Editor
SAN ANTONIO - U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
on Saturday fired what sounded a lot like a preliminary
first shot in a race for governor in 2006. Speaking to the
State Republican Convention in San Antonio, Hutchison brought
up the subject of moral standards then took aim at Governor
Rick Perry without mentioning his name.
"Governor Bush fought gambling in this state - and
I will too," Hutchison vowed.
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| Kay Bailey Hutchison: No gambling |
That kind of talk was reassuring music to the ears of several thousand
delegates who were still hanging around for the final afternoon
of pomp, festivity and party business in the Henry B. Gonzalez
Convention Center. Anti-gambling declarations aren't exactly
what GOP activists have been hearing lately from major party
leaders - despite strong opposition to games of chance among
the party's rank-and-file.
In Austin, Perry and the leaders in the Legislature have
defied the party line and platform with a newfound interest
in gambling as a way to raise to keep tax increases to a
minimum. Perry, who threatened to veto video lottery legislation
a year ago, now includes slot machines as a cornerstone
revenue source in his school incentives and property tax
relief proposal. Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst
also favors sending a constitutional amendment to voters
for the legalization of VLT's - and it was in the House
select committee's recent special session plan until opposition
among some Republicans in the lower chamber prompted sponsors
to take it out.
Hutchison, the state's senior U.S. senator, is considered
a possible candidate for governor in the GOP primary two
years from now. And she's the only potential contender with
a clean record on the issue of state-sanctioned gambling.
Hutchison told reporters after her speech that she will
oppose a constitutional amendment to allow video lottery
terminals in Texas if it receives two-thirds support in
the Legislature and goes to voters. She said gambling is
a poor way to fund public education.
But Republicans might have to wait another year or so before
they find out if the U.S. Senate member was firing blanks
or real bullets with her remarks on video lottery as a school
funding source. She's not expected to make a decision on
her future political plans until she gets a chance to see
the lay of the land in both Washington and Austin after
the November election this year. A victory by Democrat John
Kerry in the presidential contest would dramatically
set back the progress that Hutchison has made up the Senate
protocol ladder since winning the seat in a special election
in 1993. That could almost guarantee that she'd be coming
home to challenge Perry. But a win by President George
W. Bush would likely complicate the decision because
there would be pressure on her to stay in Washington and
help him fight the Democrats - especially if GOP control
in the Senate is shaky next year.
But the former television news reporter and University
of Texas cheerleader indicated that the main reason she
hasn't made a decision yet is because she doesn't like the
idea of a never-ending campaign season. So she's been content
to stay on the sidelines while Perry's other possible challenger,
Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, has
attacked him regularly for most of the past year.
Hutchison probably assumes that Strayhorn won't run for
governor if she decides to get into the race. So the comptroller
could be doing the senator a valuable free service in the
role of Perry's chief nemesis for the time being. But the
one issue that Strayhorn can't use against Perry is gambling.
The comptroller proposed video lottery in 2003 to help alleviate
a major budget crisis. So that leaves Hutchison as the only
potential candidate capable of carrying the no gambling
banner into the 2006 campaign.
The senator isn't the only major Texas official who still
frowns on gambling as an education funding source. U.S.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay told reporters
Saturday after his speech to the RPT Convention that he's
also against gambling. "We don't need gambling,"
the Sugar Land Republican said, adding, "We don't need
to raise taxes on the backs of Texans" either.
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