The Kay and Rick show gets ready to take it on the road

Remember when there was some space between one election cycle and the next? Those were the days, my friends, those were the days.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison showed she's serious about running for governor in 2010 on Thursday by forming a state campaign committee and transferring $1 million to it from her federal account.

Hutchison told the Houston Chronicle in an interview that speculation about her possible resignation from the Senate to run for governor is premature.

"If I did resign to run, it would be late next year. It's not going to be something very soon at all, because I do have a job to do in the Senate," Hutchison said. "It's a very important time. I want to do this when it's right for Texas. An early resignation would not be right for Texas."

"Plus, it's a lot easier to raise mountains of cash as a sitting Senator than as a private citizen, and I plan to bury that pretty boy's ass in money over the next few months," she did not add.

Perry spokesman Mark Miner dismissed Hutchison's campaign filing as a false start.

"Kay Bailout has been talking about running for governor and passing legislation for years, and neither has happened," Miner said. "Today continues her record of indecision."

Miner has been referring to Hutchison as "Bailout" because of her support of a $700 billion federal rescue of Wall Street. Hutchison's chief of staff last week said Perry supported the bill before he opposed it and that "is how you get 39 percent of the vote after six years in office," referring to the governor's 2006 re-election by plurality.

You can tell this is going to be a high-minded campaign about issues already. Are you well-stocked with popcorn yet?

Posted by Charles Kuffner on December 06, 2008 to Election 2010