Sen. Dan Patrick’s announcement that he will run for lieutenant governor next year was expected, but the timing of his announcement serves as a commentary on Dewhurst’s performance — especially during the just-ended special session.
Patrick, a Houston Republican, joins Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples in challenging Dewhurst. On paper, it resembles a race for an open seat even though the incumbent has been in office since 2002. In a recent University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, three-fifths of Republican voters said they hadn’t thought about the race enough to choose a candidate. That sort of thing is good news for the challengers.
David Watts, a business consultant from Northeast Texas, says he is running for land commissioner, a job opening because of Patterson's run for Lite Guv. Watts will face George P. Bush in that primary.
Eric Opiela, a former Republican Party official who ranches and practices law, will run for agriculture in 2014.
And former Harris County Tax Assessor Collector Paul Bettencourt will run for Patrick’s seat, he announced just a bit after Patrick declared his intention to challenge Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Bettencourt started a tax consultancy after leaving the county job.