Dick Cheney Backs Hutchison Over Perry for Texas Governor

Former Vice President Dick Cheney will endorse Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the Texas gubernatorial race, the Houston Chronicle reports. The senator will face incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in the March 2010 Republican primary, and Cheney will appear at a fundraiser supporting Hutchison's campaign on Nov. 17. Cheney, whose former company, Halliburton, is based in Houston, is still very popular among Texas conservatives, and his endorsement could shore up Hutchison's support.

The Texas governor's race mirrors national debates over the soul of the Republican Party: Hutchison is still solidly conservative, but has a reputation for being pragmatic and occasionally taking more moderate stances in state and Senate politics. Perry, meanwhile, has headlined anti-tax "tea parties" and publicly ruminated on secession. The race has become increasingly nasty, with Hutchison drawing attention to investigations into Perry's ethics, and Perry painting Hutchison as a Washington-hardened spendthrift.