They may not know when a special election will be held, but would-be successors to Texas Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison continue to raise campaign funds with the expectation that she'll soon vacate her seat to concentrate on her 2010 campaign for governor.
The candidates want to be ready for a speedy balloting that is expected to take place in May, though the Texas election statutes also give Republican Gov. Rick Perry some discretion in setting a date.
Hutchison, who is challenging Perry for the GOP nomination in a March primary election, said in July that she would resign in October or November. But that plan appears to have fallen by the wayside: she said last week that she is "going to leave" but wasn't sure exactly when.
Though Republicans have dominated recent statewide elections in Texas, GOP officials acknowledge that an atypical special election could be very competitive. And at the moment, the best-funded candidate for Hutchison's seat is a Democrat, Houston Mayor Bill White, who took in more than $1.5 million in this year's third quarter and $6 million for his campaign to date. More than $400,000 of White's third-quarter receipts and $1.4 million of his overall receipts came from the his own pocket.
The other Democrat in the race, former state Comptroller John Sharp, has self-funded his campaign even more heavily but has drawn much less support than White from individual donors. Of Sharp's $615,000 in third-quarter receipts, about $505,000 came from his own pockets. Sharp has given his campaign more than $3.1 million and has $3.4 million left in his campaign account.
Of the four best-known Republicans in the race, former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams has the largest cash balance, with $863,000.
State Sen. Florence Shapiro reported raising $354,000 in the third quarter, including a $100,000 personal loan from the candidate that allowed her to top Williams' third-quarter receipts of $336,000. Shapiro has $556,000 left in her campaign account.
Elizabeth Ames Jones, a state railroad commissioner, took in $209,000 for the quarter and has $531,000 left in her campaign account.
Michael Williams, another state railroad commissioner, reported third-quarter receipts of $192,000, of which $50,000 was a personal loan he provided to his campaign, and has $118,000 left in the bank.
Rep. Joe L. Barton is a potential Senate candidate and has more than $1.7 million in his House campaign account. He's permitted to use those funds for a Senate race. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is presently seeking re-election but has the name recognition and personal wealth to wage a competitive Senate race.
A crowded special election is likely because it would be a single-ballot race that includes candidates of all parties. If no candidate received the necessary vote majority to win outright, the top two finishers would compete in a runoff election. It's not clear if the interim senator Perry would appoint immediately after Hutchison resigns would run in the special election.
CQ Politics currently rates the race as Leans Republican.
To follow the 2009 and 2010 governors' races, check out CQ Politics' election map.
![[ARCHIVES]](http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/templates/images/archives_icon.png){kind=icon}
Post A Comment