2010: TAM endorses Perry

The Texas Association of Manufacturers — one of the first groups to back the 2006 rewrite of the corporate franchise tax — endorsed Gov. Rick Perry over U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the 2010 gubernatorial race. That tracks with most other Austin-based trade groups, which have overwhelmingly sided with the incumbent over the challenger. But it's not just politics. Hutchison told the group, when seeking their endorsement, that she's no fan of the changes made to that business tax. TAM was and is for those changes. And Perry was the instigator of the revisions. Case closed.