Kay Bailey Hutchison said today that she will not seek another term in the U.S. Senate.
"I have known since 2006 that I wouldn't seek another term," the senator said in a telephone interview. "I wanted to announce it on my own terms and in my own way."
Needless to say, the list of Republicans looking to claim the seat is, well, Texas-sized.
Contenders to fill Hutchison's seat started to emerge soon after she made her announcement.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst issued a written statement that said: "While my focus remains on the challenges we face here at the state level and making this upcoming session successful, I fully intend to explore running for the United States Senate, and should I run, I will run with the intention of winning and continuing to serve the people of Texas just as I have done throughout my career."
Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones also issued a statement on Senate campaign letterhead just a few minutes after Hutchison spoke to The Dallas Morning News.
"I look forward to an aggressive, spirited campaign on the issues," she wrote.
Other likely Republican contenders to succeed her include Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert , state Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano , Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, Weatherford car dealer Roger Williams, and Ted Cruz, a former Texas solicitor general and candidate for state attorney general.
And you can bet with Texas Republicans having a supermajority in the state legislature, all of these candidates are going to have to fall in line with whatever tea-flavored legislation that comes down the pike.
Hutchinson won't be the last Republican senator to hang it up in 2012 either rather than face the Tea Party, and that's a shame.
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