(this was supposed to be posted last week, but it got delayed)
The primaries were more interesting than usual this year. The rise of the Tea Party movement is a big part of it. I like the fact that a relatively unknown candidate was able to garner 18 percent of the vote in the Governor’s race. I was very impressed – and not at all surprised – by Medina’s performance. I think her performance shows the strength of grassroots conservatism in Texas. Undoubtedly, the Texas GOP knows that it has to take grassroots economic conservatives more seriously than ever before and more seriously than any other aspect of the Republican base. My hat goes off to the Governor and his staffers for once again getting him reelected.

Some people might wonder, had it not been for the Glenn Beck interview, that Medina may have gained a few more percentage points and forced Perry into a runoff. I heard the interview live – Beck and his co-hosts were considerably disrespectful and somewhat unprofessional during and after the interview. Medina, of course, did not help her cause by giving the convoluted response that she gave. The question about Medina being a 9-11 truther should have never been asked – conservatives across the state know that Medina is nothing like a conspiracy theorist – and it will remain a mystery as to why Beck felt the need to go after a political candidate that is supported by the same Tea Partiers that make up Beck’s audience. Also, I do not think that most of Medina’s voters would have voted for Senator Hutchinson had Medina not entered the race. A good chunk of them would not have voted in the primary.

While a runoff would have been possible, I think Perry would most likely have won. It would have been interesting to see how he would have crafted his statements and speeches in a runoff – would he have tried to appear more conservative? I’m still looking forward to seeing how he crafts his statements and speeches between now and November. He’s facing a moderate Democrat in Bill White and Perry should win. With respect to future political endeavors (i.e. running for President/Vice President), however, Perry will be remembered (at least in the media) largely for what he does and says between now and his next term as Governor. He must brand himself as a fiscally responsible conservative Republican and he needs to appear credible in doing it.