Hutchison to juggle two jobs by staying in Senate

Austin American-Statesman:

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison acknowledged on Saturday that she's going to miss some votes in Washington over the next four months as she tries to unseat Gov. Rick Perry in the March Republican primary.

"I'm not going to miss important votes," Hutchison said after formally announcing to the Texas Federation of Republican Women that she would not resign her Senate seat before the primary, as she originally planned. "I'm not going to miss votes where it can make a difference. But clearly I cannot be there 100 percent every single time."

Her first test will come quickly. Hutchison has an appearance scheduled Tuesday in Houston with former Vice President Dick Cheney in what is supposed to be a highlight for her campaign.

But a key procedural vote on health care reform could come Tuesday in Washington, and Hutchison has made the need to fight the Obama administration on health care and climate change the central rationale for her decision to wait until after the primary to resign her Senate seat.

Asked whether she would attend the Cheney event, she said, "We're working on it. That's going to be a tough situation, but again, I'll make the judgment call."

A Hutchison aide said Cheney will still campaign and raise money for Hutchison in Houston on Tuesday regardless of whether she is there.

Although Hutchison says she is ready to fight on two fronts, she has a tough road ahead of her.

Votes in Washington are often called as soon as deals are struck, with little warning to senators. Hutchison said she has told Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky that she'll be there when he needs her.

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Hutchison actually briefly took the lead in the race when she was in the state announcing her campaign, but since she went back to Washington she has fallen behind again. I think that points out the wisdom of her original plan to resign this fall. However she is needed in Washington to fight the Democrats' health care and anti energy globo warming schemes. By waiting to resign after the primary, she also gives herself the option of staying in the Senate should she lose the primary contest.

While the Cheney endorsement is one any conservative Republican candidate would want I do not see it making that much difference, because there is little difference between Hutchison and Perry on national security issues which is Cheney's strength and the basis of his appeal.