It's a political "he said, she said", but voters won't break up this fight for another seven months.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is driving and flying across the state as she announces what just about every breathing politico in Texas has known for several months: She's running for Governor. And campaign workers for Governor Rick Perry, her GOP rival, are following her around the state.
Tuesday, Hutchison stopped in Dallas to greet what looked like her largest crowd of supporters. But before they saw the senior US Senator from Texas take the stage, supporters had to walk past a Texans for Rick Perry sponsored billboard.
Governor Rick Perry's operatives parked what they're calling the "Kay Bailout Express" just yards from the entrance to the venue Hutchison was heading to. The billboard, loaded on to the back of a truck, was pretty hard to miss.
And just in case Hutchison's people missed seeing the billboard, Perry's camp flew a banner from a plane circling the venue, asking Hutchison to release her tax returns.
"This campaign is less than 48 hours old and in typical Rick Perry fashion he has already made it into one of the sleaziest, dirtiest contests in Texas history." said Jennifer Baker with Huthison's communications team.
Perry's campaign manager, Rob Johnson, told reporters earlier in the day that "Senator Hutchison should come clean and immediately release her tax returns." Hutchison's staff took that to mean that Perry's camp is accusing the Senator of hiding personal financial gains from her tenure as a Senator.
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"It is sad that he has already taken to sleazy personal attacks." Baker said in a statement. "Texans should take note of this day, as it will forever be known as the day Rick Perry traded what’s left of his integrity for the hope of another four years of power.” Baker added.
Hutchison's camp said it would release her tax returns soon, but planned on letting the Senator finish her campaign kick off.
When pressed for policy details, a Hutchison aide said the Senator would be releasing more details on her fiscal policy, education, government reform, transportation and healthcare plans in the next few weeks.
