AUSTIN, Texas -- Former Houston Mayor Bill White defeated
six other candidates Tuesday to become the Democratic nominee for
Texas governor, giving the party its best hope in years at winning
the chief executive post.
White, a well-funded businessman who made a name for himself
with his city's response to the Hurricane Katrina evacuation, will
face the winner of the Republican primary in the November general
election.
Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and GOP activist
Debra Medina are vying for the Republican nomination in a
hard-hitting primary that largely overshadowed the Democratic race.
Perry had an early lead early returns trickled in Tuesday.
White had nearly 76 percent of the vote with a handful of
precincts reporting to defeat wealthy Houston hair-care magnate
Farouk Shami and five other lesser-known candidates.
White said he didn't feel at a disadvantage with so much
attention paid to the Republicans and spent the time listening to
voters. He aired television ads introducing himself to a statewide
audience and generally kept his campaign on a positive path.
Perry and Hutchison, meanwhile, frequently traded barbs. Perry
pushed an anti-Washington theme, casting Hutchinson as part of a
bid-spending crowd in the nation's capital. Hutchison accused Perry
of becoming arrogant, allowing cronies to invade state government
and ignoring looming state problems.
Republicans have held the governorship since George W. Bush took
over in 1995 after defeating Democrat Ann Richards. Perry ascended
to governor from lieutenant governor in December 2000, when Bush
resigned to become president, and has held the office ever since.
Democrats have been looking for an avenue back into statewide
power, and many see White as that chance with his money to spend on
a big race and his power base in Houston, the state's largest city.
Businessman Tom Schieffer dropped out of the Democratic race for
governor last fall and threw his support behind White, who switched
from running for U.S. Senate.
Hutchison had said she would leave the Senate by the end of 2009
to concentrate on the governor's race, but she hasn't yet resigned.
She said she had to stay and fight the Democrats' health care plan.
