Republican rightwing activists help secure Texas for Rick Perry

Moderate Republicans face being displaced by candidates backed by the Tea Party and other grassroots rightwingers
Leo Blog :  Texas Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry, the incumbent Texas governor, beat Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina in the Republican primary. Photograph: Daniel Barry/Getty Images

The rightwing, anti-Washington mood engulfing the US last night claimed another victim when the Republican senator Kay Bailey Hutchison was forced out of the race to become governor of Texas.

Hutchison, a senator in Washington, had started the Republican primary contest as firm favourite, with a 25% lead last year. But such is the strength of the grassroots, anti-establishment uprising that she had conceded to the incumbent governor, Rick Perry, before even half the votes had been counted last night.

With more than 90% of votes counted, Perry had won 51% to Hutchison's 30%.

The latest upset comes only two months after grassroots activists around the country contributed to the shock Republican victory in the battle for Ted Kennedy's Senate place.


The race is the first in a series of primary contests throughout the year across America as the Republicans and Democrats choose candidates for November's mid-term elections for Congress and the governorships.

The result suggests a shift to the right lies ahead in the Republican party both in Congress and among governors.

Moderate Republicans face being displaced by more rightwing candidates, backed by Tea Party activists and others who complain the Republican party has betrayed its core principles. These rightwingers oppose federal government spending under Barack Obama, the proposed healthcare bill and immigration reform, and blame Republicans for failing to oppose the spending.

The result in Texas is ominous for candidates such as the Republican governor in Florida, Charlie Crist, who is trailing in the polls behind Marco Rubio, a Tea Party favourite. Even the Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential campaign, John McCain, is having to fight to save his Arizona Senate seat.

Texas was a three-way race, with Hutchison and Perry competing against a Tea Party activist, Debra Medina.

Medina did well, winning double-digits, despite having lost ground last month after agreeing with the conspiracy theory that the federal government was involved in the 9/11 attacks. In these circumstances, her performance amounted to a show of strength by grassroots activists.

Perry, too, benefited from the anti-big-government mood, branding Hutchison as a supporter of Obama's multibillion economic stimulus package.

With 60% of the vote counted, Perry had 51.3%, Hutchison 30.8% and Medina 17.8%.

Hutchison, who has the consolation prize of being able to remain a senator, had hoped that the three-way split would prevent Perry achieving the 50%-plus necessary to avoid a runoff next month. But even faint hope disappeared.

Hutchison phoned Perry to concede and then told her supporters: "It has been a long road and a hard fought campaign, but tonight we fell short."

Perry, who is standing for a third term as governor, faces the Democrat Bill White, a former Houston mayor. But Texas is normally strongly Republican and Perry will be the favourite, particularly with anti-Obama and anti-Democrat sentiment running strongly.

The level of disaffection in the country, both with the Democrats and moderate Republicans, was reflected not only in the vote for Perry, but also in the high turnout.