The Midday Brief: March 2, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

• “Today is a big day in Texas, with voters going to the polls in the primary election for governor and other races. The top-ticket item is the Republican primary, in which incumbent Gov. Rick Perry is being challenged by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Tea Party activist Debra Medina.” — Today's Texas Primary: The Right, The Far Right, And The Really Far Right — Talking Points Memo

• “After making steady gains in the polls in recent weeks, Gov. Rick Perry is the overwhelming favorite in the Republican gubernatorial primary over U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison—but maybe not by enough to prevent an April runoff.” —Independents Cloud Texas Poll  — Wall Street Journal

• “What once was seen as a jump ball race between Perry and KBH has turned into something of a rout for the incumbent governor with the only real drama today over whether he can win the 50 percent of the vote he needs to avoid an April 13 runoff.” — Texas Governors Race: Prediction Time! — The Fix

• “Meanwhile, Texas GOP Gov. Rick Perry has embraced the cause of state sovereignty, suggested his famously independent state could secede from the union, deemed the president a socialist and, last month in Houston, happily stood by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s side to receive her endorsement.” — Rick Perry taps into fear of Washington — Politico

• “Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison insists she will quit her Senate seat this year, whether she wins or loses her challenge to incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in Tuesday’s Texas primary. She has remained adamant about her departure even though the primary, once billed as a battle of political titans, has shifted strongly in Perry’s favor.” — Hutchison’s Senate Departure Stays Fluid — CQ Politics

• “Both the law under which Jeffrey K. Skilling was convicted and the way his jury was selected were the subject of skeptical questioning at the Supreme Court on Monday. The law was too vague, several justices suggested, and the jury selection too cursory.” — Justices Hear Appeal of Ex-Chief of Enron  — The New York Times

New in The Texas Tribune:

• “Spending in the Texas governor's race is approaching $55 million (or more). The last poison letters in judicial, legislative and other down-ballot races should have landed in mailboxes by now. It's all over but the phone callers and door-knockers asking Texans to get out to vote, and then the voters themselves.” — Judgment Day — The Texas Tribune

• “It can be tedious and costly, but some losing candidates in today's primary election actually have one last chance to win, sort of: They can ask for a recount of the ballots cast, provided they meet one of three criteria.” — 2010: What's the Deal with Recounts? — The Texas Tribune

• “We've launched a simple new data application that details $150 million in campaign fundraising and spending by the major-party candidates since January 2009. “ — On the Records: A Ballot Balance Sheet — The Texas Tribune

• “Join us throughout election day with live updates from across the state - courtesy of our readers and viewers. . Email us at media@texastribune.org to tell us what you're seeing, or even better, send in photo updates that we'll post in this space.” — Primary 2010: The Liveblog — The Texas Tribune