Inside Intelligence: In 2012 and 2014...
For the latest installment of our unscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we looked past the special session to ask about the sooner-than-you-think top-of-the-ticket 2012 and 2014 statewide elections — who's likely to win, and how the dominoes will fall.
We first wanted to know, with former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams almost certainly out of the U.S. Senate race and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, possibly in — and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's plans and timetable the subject of rampant speculation — who would win the Republican primary next March. Dewhurst was the overwhelming choice of our insiders, with ...
Comments (1)
marvin clede
I think some of the races on which your "insiders" have commented have been poorly vetted by the commenters. They disregard grassroots sentiment and influence of heavy voting urban areas like Houston and Dallas with their very active Republican loyalists.
For instance, it seems very likely to me that Dewhurst will skip the Senate race, particularly if Rick Perry jumps into the Presidential race and he is appointed to be Gov. Even if that does not transpire, it may be more likely for him to wait and run for Gov. in 2014 instead of opposing Dan Patrick who has huge support centered in Houston but stretching out to other cities as well. He would then have a chance to improve his record overseeing another Legislative session. I see Dan and Ted Cruz in a tight runoff for the Senate prize, that is if Dan decides to run. Otherwise, Cruz walks away with it by virtue of his exceptional credentials.
Then for Lt. Gov. next time, Todd Staples may have built up insider friendships, but believe me, Jerry Patterson is firmly anchored with grassroots folks, particularly Tea Party folks, veterans, 2nd Amendment groups, and Texas patriots and history buffs. And his Houston connections and roots run very strong. I think he would move up to be the front runner, given his penchant for commenting and acting on key policy issues.