Hutchison, Stanford, Sabato, Russell, Sharp, and Chance

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, talking to The Hill about a recent poll that had her trailing Gov. Rick Perry by 11 percentage points (her campaign crowed about late 2008 polls that had her in the lead): "When I'm ahead in a poll, I don't think it means anything, and when I'm behind in a poll I don't think it means anything. I think this poll was flawed anyway, but you know, I think polls at this point are really not relevant. It's far away, and I haven't even started the campaign."

Democratic consultant Jason Stanford, quoted in the Austin American-Statesman on the amounts of money raised by the GOP's two gubernatorial candidates: "If you don't like politicians contacting you, and you vote in Republican primaries, I'd move."

Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia, musing about the campaign finance differences between Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison, in the San Antonio Express-News: "Generally, if spending is going to pick the nominee, it's spending of 2-to-1 or 3-to-1. A couple of extra million in Texas doesn't mean all that much."

El Paso County lobbyist Claudia Russell, talking to the El Paso Times about contributing $150 to Rep. Norma Chavez' $3,500 graduation party in Austin: "I don't know if I wanted to. I just kinda felt it was my duty to."

U.S. Senate candidate John Sharp, quoted in the Longview News-Journal: "Washington is a very political place, and Texas really needs a Democratic senator there. If you're going to have one, you might as well not have an idiot, so that's why I'm asking people to elect me."

Montgomery County Commissioner Ed Chance, on problems at prisons run by the GEO Group, in The Dallas Morning News: "When you're dealing with inmates, you're going to have problems. You're going to have some headlines."