Hutchison raises big bucks first half of year

Houston Chronicle:

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison had publicly vanished from the governor's race during the past several months, but burst back on the scene Monday with an announcement that she has $12.5 million for a campaign to knock Gov. Rick Perry out of office.

Hutchison said she will formally announce as a candidate next month. She described the $6.7 million she raised during the first half of this year as a record for a Texas politician.

“This is a huge victory,” Hutchison said.

Perry has announced that he raised $4.2 million in the final nine days of June and had $9.3 million in the bank.

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In a Dallas news conference, Hutchison outlined the core of her campaign in next year's Republican primary; fighting property taxes that are too high — as well as insurance and utility rates — and pushing for better access to health care for Texas children She also described Perry's Texas Department of Transportation as “arrogant.”

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This is the first I have seen of what her issues will be in the coming primary campaign. I am sure that these issues poll well. The taxing authorities on the local level have been ingenious at raising property taxes no matter what the state has tried to do to lower them, so it will be a challenge to construct a bill that will thwart their efforts. I don't know what she means about the DOT being arrogant. Perhaps that is a Dallas based issue.

She will have to contend with aspects of Perry's record that are really good. Texas has led the country in creating jobs, including half of all jobs created over the last two years. It is the leading exporting state.