Kay Bailey Hutchison is almost certainly to be a candidate for Governor in 2010.

More reports that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is running for governor. It's not like the senior senator has tried to tamp down speculation or anything. On an airplane with John McCain this month traveling between Houston and Austin, Hutchison came back to chat.

I greeted her with, "Governor, good to see you."

"I like the sound of that," she said, smiling broadly.

There was speculation she would run in 2006 – and I urged against it. I’ve come to regret that position, given the particular lousy performance of Rick Perry as governor over the last 18 months. If he were my available choice, I’d be inclined to vote for Kinky Friedman, just for the entertainment value – after all, the singer/author/funnyman actually intends to make a fool out of himself much of the time – Perry does so unintentionally.

Which leads us to other possible candidates. Other than the possibility of Perry himself running, we could see Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst seek the office after biding his time for the last decade. I can’t see him sparking much more enthusiasm than Perry, though, among the GOP base, most of whom at least like Hutchison even when we disagree with her. On the other hand, there are frequent rumors about a hard-right bid from State Senator (and radio personality) Dan Patrick, given his available media footprint that covers close to half of the state’s population.

And if Hutchison runs and resigns from the Senate (not a requirement, but a strong possibility), who would replace her?

Mentioned as the top front-runners are Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (who also has indicated that he plans to run for governor), former Secretary of State Roger Williams, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams and, if he so chooses, Perry himself.

Now Perry states he isn’t interested in a national position – but if his option is having his head handed to him by Hutchison in the primary, I could see naming himself as a real possibility. I sort of like the Michael Williams possibility myself.

Am I ready to slap a KBH bumper sticker on my car? Not yet – but at this point, I don’t see anyone on the gubernatorial horizon who I believe is better situated to win on 2010.

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