2010: Beaumont, Corpus Papers Endorse White

The Beaumont Enterprise and the Corpus Christi Caller-Times today threw their support behind Bill White's bid to unseat Gov. Rick Perry, bringing to four the number of newspapers that have endorsed the Democratic challenger over the Republican incumbent.

"The choice for governor is pretty simple this year regardless of your political beliefs," the Enterprise editorialized. "Rick Perry has been a lousy governor for many reasons that have nothing to do with ideology. Bill White is the strongest Democratic nominee for this post in years."

"[T]he obvious choice for governor is Bill White, whose background as a successful, pragmatic oilman gives him much in common with Bill Clements, Texas’ first non-Reconstruction Republican governor," said the Caller-Times. "White, a Democrat whose previous political experience was as mayor of Houston, has more in common with Clements — known for his slogan “I’m not a politician. I’m a businessman” — than does Republican incumbent Rick Perry, a career politician.

Previously, the Austin American-Statesman and Houston Chronicle endorsed White, who is meeting this general election season with newspaper editorial boards. Perry is not, believing the act of seeking the blessing of newspapers to be not worth his time. "[Y]ou know, the world is really changing," he told The Associated Press recently. "I mean, the way people get their information, who they listen to, etc. Put it all on the balance beam and the balance was toward not doing the editorial boards."