TX Governor's Race Heats Up

Last Friday, the race for the Republican nomination for Governor got significantly more interesting with the launch of dueling television ads by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and current Governor Rick Perry.

Hutchison's advertisement plays up her commitment to the people of Texas, and seems to attempt to address the question of why she has yet to resign her Senate seat, as she promised she would, to focus on running for governor. Take a look at the Texans for Kay ad:



Governor Perry's first campaign ad focuses on the ways in which he and his administration have improved conditions in Texas. Here is Perry's "Texas Values" ad:



Hutchison has some explaining to do, and it makes sense that she would choose to speak directly to the voters in Texas and address the reasons why she has chosen not to vacate her Senate seat at this time. Governor Perry is trying to get rehired for the same job, so it seems logical that he would point to his accomplishments, and let the people of Texas know that they can expect more of the same if they choose to re-elect him. In this regard, the candidates are taking different approaches in these first TV spots. Based on these two initial ads, however, I see the lines blurring between these two candidates.

Hutchison and Perry both take the approach of "Washington Bad, Texas Good." Perry attacks Washington (Deficits! Pork barrel spending! Debts! Oh my!), but he's really aiming for Hutchison. When the voice over intones, "Washington gives us politics" it's a picture of KBH that flashes on the screen. What does the situation in Washington have to do with the Texas governor's race? Nothing really, unless your opponent works there. Are we to believe that KBH is responsible for the mess in Washington? I think that's what Rick Perry wants us to think.

KBH is having none of that. She's not part of the problem in Washington, she's part of the solution. She wants you, Texas voter, to know that she is the only thing standing between Texas and total annihilation by the federal government. Okay, maybe that's a tad dramatic, but Hutchison uses her ad time to explain that she simply cannot leave the Senate while the threat of "government takeover of health care" continues. She also points out that she is doing this despite the risk it poses to her own "political future."

These first two ads do little to distinguish these candidates. Both are covering similar ground, and both attempt to convince potential voters that each is the true representative of conservative Texas values. The candidates take slightly different approaches, but the messages end up sounding awfully similar. While Perry does point out some of his successes as governor, I found that his attacks on KBH via attacks on Washington overshadowed those messages. I look forward to seeing these candidates turn away from tired messages about the evils and failures of Washington, and get down to the issues that actually pertain to the state of Texas and the office of governor.