(CNN) – One day after Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison formally challenged him for his job, Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired back.
"I understand the senator's been in Washington for 16 years, and she may not have a grasp of what's going on in the state of Texas. She may not know or understand the progress we've made in this state," Perry said at a news conference Tuesday in Austin, Texas.
Hutchison officially announced her bid for Texas governor Monday, The move pitted her against Perry, a fellow Republican, and sparked what could be a bitter intra-party fight in the Lone Star State. As she kicked off a five-day, 19-stop "Texas Can Do Better" tour, the four-term U.S. senator slammed Perry's years in office for what she calls arrogance and mistakes, and she said "he's trying to stay too long - 14 years, maybe longer."
Perry took over as Texas governor in late 2000, after then-Gov. George W. Bush stepped down to serve as president. Perry won election to a full term in 2002, and was re-elected four years later.
Perry said Tuesday he's "pretty proud of what we've done here in Texas. This is a low tax state" - and gave a taste of how he plans to run in a primary battle against Hutchison.
"This is pretty simple to me. This is going to be Washington versus Texas. Does Washington have the best answers or does Texas have the best answers," Perry told reporters.
Hutchison says she'll give up her Senate seat later this year to focus solely on the governor's race.
From CNN Politics
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you sure don't know
Texas has needed real leadership for a long time, she fits the need, you are ineffective
this guy looks Palin look sane. Good news for him is that since he was planning on pulling texas out of the union any way this election won't really mean anything.
Adios, Rick.
What is the secessionist hairball whining about now?
Mrs. Hutchison – Kick his drunk-driving, condenscending, redneck ass out of the mansion!
Give it up Perry. You're gong down. Hutchinson for Governor then for President in 2012.
I've met both of these people. Both are talented, skillful managers. Each would make a great governor, and each would make a great senator, for any state of the union. Texas should be proud to have such two dedicated people wanting to look after the best interests of Texas. Good luck, and have fun!....
Two losers are battling each other for the ultimate prize. I hope the people of Texas wake up and they both lose.
As a former Texan, I can say unequivicably that Rick Perry has been an AWFUL governor for virtually ALL Texans except the super rich and the oil companies! Retired teachers have not gotten a single cost of living increase in all the years he has reigned as governor. Am not sure Kay Bailey would be all that much better. A Democrat is what is desperately needed in Texas.
Let's see, . . .Perry wants Texas to secede from the union, refuse stimulus money, and install anti public education people on the state board of ed.
Maybe Hutchinson is aware of what this moron has done to the state. At least Perry makes "W" look like a genius.
Texas can easily do better than Rick Perry, and also a lot better than Hutchison. We were mostly a state of democrats before the decadent oil-boom years of the late '70s – mid '80s and simple-minded one-liners of Reagan. Maybe we can learn a lesson from our grandparents and return Texas to Democrat control, instead of leaving it in the hands of the party of big business and spin.
Texas is such a wonderful place, each and every person is friendly, honest, caring, and full of compassion. It is the direct opposite of blue areas where people are completely selfish, narcisist, rude, obnoxious, dishonest, and filled with misguided lie based anger and hate. Try Texas' gun carry laws in New York for a day, how many thousands would be killed for things like a lib not being allowed to cut everyone off on the road?
Those colors mean something, mostly on a county level. Blue means rude, and the red'er the better. The founding fathers never envisioned Americans becoming what is now the Democratic Party. They thought that our freedoms and rights would prevent such idiocy, hate, and lies to dominate millions of people in this nation. It is no wonder that most Democrats want nothing more than to destroy our Democrtic Republic and mold this nation under the words of Alinksy and Marx, two heros of our current commander in chief.
Rick .................... Palin?
Trans-Texas Corridor... Vetoing CHIPS... It's about time we got rid of Perry. GO KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON!!!
This makes me miss Molly Ivins more than ever. She was always able to perfectly nail Gov. 'Good Hair' Perry, and she would have had a field day in the upcoming election. Her surviving peers in Texas lack the humor which is so essential when writing about any and all things Texan.
I feel so bad for Texans. This guy is a male Sarah Palin. Oh wait, he is Caribou Ken!!!!!!!
There is no comparison with him and Senator Hutchison. I hope someone covers their debate. I could use a good laugh. Kay is gonna wipe up the floor with this moron.
Yes, Pompadour Perry, we have made SSOOO, much progress.
The state of TX still leads the nation in uninsured children.
We have tort reform on malpractice suits but did the savings get passed on to the insured? Nope, right into the pockets of the suits at the private insurers.
Your refusal of 500 million dollars in "porkulus" money has now required that you get a 1.5 billion dollar loan from Feds to cover the deficit in the unemployment funds, that you exempted all companies from even having pay over the last couple of years. All about big business and to hell with the unemployed, just like a republiklan.
Guess it was a good thing that whole seccessionist thing did not work out, otherwise, who would king, Pompadour Perry of the sovereign country of Texas go to and beg for foreign aid to help to cover his ineptness, Mexico?
For you non-Texans out there, it's actually the lieutenant governor, not the governor, who does most of the work in this state.
You should lose Gov. Perry if you think Texas is willing to succeed from the union. You sir, are as scary as anybody.
Oooohhhhhhhh god who cares
I miss the days of Anne Richards!
It should be a crime for a governor who advocates their state leaving the union to stand in front of our flag, he should be tried for treason and/or sedition
Perry was elected with only 38% of the vote because there were 5 candidates and Texas law does not mandate that you have over 50% to be declared the winner.
Despite this low approval, Perry has acted like he had a mandate, and he will find it tough getting re-elected.
I still think the best thing for America is Texas should secede and they can take all the riff raff with them as in the email floating around by John J Wall the Law Student. Texas is getting as crazy as Tehran. And Perry is the leader of the crazies.
The Republican way. Throw stones. Offer no solutions. I guess he "thinks" good looks alone will woo the female voters. NOT. Buy a vowel and get a clue TEXAS. Alaska and Texas, one in the same?
I dont think he will get many of the hispanic votes as the senators there voted against the new judge. And he was one who didnt want the stimulas money like Sarah. Maybe Sarah will go down and campaign for him that sure would finish him up for good. Wasnt he talking about his state suceeding from the us. Just like Tod belonged to AIP who wanted to succeed from the USA