Run! What's KBH waiting for?

I have written a lot about the Texas Governor's race and a recent event has really made me think. Yesterday current US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison sent out a letter to her supporters basically asking for money. Of Course what made her letter interesting is that she included the phrase

" I am running for Governor because Texas must prepare for the future. I am running because I believe it is conservative to demand results and hold government accountable - with integrity and responsibility."

Now this is not the first time that KBH has said she is running but there has not been an official announcement of her campaign. At this point I am wondering what the hold up is in making an official announcement.

I am actually questioning the strategy of the campaign. When Senator Hutchison does finally announce she is running, the news won't be so shocking to Texans. Normally a candidate, any candidate gets a bounce in the polls when they actually say they are running. At this point its not news that she is running.

The only thing that would really be news is if Sen. Hutchison did not run. My thinking right now is that KBH would really like to run and be governor of Texas but wants a safety net and the ability to quickly back out of the race. Hutchison is looking to challenge incumbent Governor Rick Perry, who is not popular in the state by any means. The one issue the senator might have is that Perry is still very popular with conservatives. The senator has at times been at odds with some in the conservative wing of the party. We know from previous elections that devoted ideologues are usually the ones that turn out and influence a primary result. If Perry can get a enough of his base to turnout and Hutchison has issues connecting with voters it's possible Perry can win the nomination.

I do believe even though Texas is a very Republican state, I don't think Governor Perry has a good chance a general election if he is the nominee.

Right now, all Sen. Hutchison has really done is form an exploratory committee. She has also announced she is about to tour the state to discuss the future of Texas. After Senator Hutchison's listening tour it would not be too late for her to back out of the race if the polls don't look good. In fact she could easily back out of the race by saying "After touring our state and talking with Texans I have found that the best thing for Texas is for me to continue my work in the United States Senate."

Hutchison has backed out of the governor's race in years past and it still could happen this time around. If Hutchison does decide to run all the way I have to question the public relations strategy, I feel they the campaign might lose some of its momentum with multiple pseudo-announcements.