We are barely into this political season and the Republican gubernatorial primary has already swerved sharply into the land of the deliciously unpredictable.
A quick reprise because last year, incumbent Gov. Rick Perry began teasing the notion of an unprecedented third full term.
His decision to run again was seen as suicidal at the time, even by some of his friends. After George W. Bush, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison was the most popular Republican in Texas. As the legislative session began, Hutchison held a 20 point lead over Perry.
However, Perry saw opportunity by getting in front of grassroots Republicans angry with the Obama administration. By spring, he was a leading voice crystallizing anger with Washington and morphing Hutchison into a metaphor of all that was wrong with the nation’s capitol. He closed the deal with some party activists by jumping in front of the Tea Party movement last spring.
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Primaries
News 8's Harvey Kronberg explains why this could be a nailbiter to the end.
 
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By end of session, Hutchison was polling 10 points down, a 30 point swing in five months. Legislators who were ready to endorse Hutchison at the session’s end saw their once invincible champion suddenly appear very vulnerable.
As she got closer to her formal announcement, Perry turned the poundings more and more personal. Lest there be any confusion, his campaign created a website named WashingtonKay.com.
Her feeble announcement tour further unnerved would be supporters. Perry’s campaign trumpeted her small crowds and walked on her message. Conventional wisdom called the race over. After all, political types frequently believe the last episode is the precursor to the next.
In a matter of weeks however, Perry has gone from running the campaign narrative to running from it. A recent Rasmussen poll showed Hutchison recovering from her 30 point drop and back in the lead, if only barely
Last week, Hutchison received the Farm Bureau endorsement at least partially because of their opposition to the Trans Texas Corridor. Within days, Perry appointees at Texas Department of Transportation publicly killed the last vestige of the program.
Hours before a forensics report is to be released that could suggest that the governor presided over the execution of an innocent man, Mr. Perry scrambled the membership of the Texas Forensics Science Commission, delaying the release of the report.
Today, it looks like a cover up, and tomorrow it may be old news.
It is five months until the primary. My advice is to fasten your seat belts because the best is yet to come.
