Congress

Sen. Hutchison won’t run for reelection in 2012

One of the leading voices on space issues in the Senate will be leaving. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced today that she has decided not to run for reelection in 2012. She said in the announcement that she would not leave before the end of her current term, but was making the announcement now, nearly two years before her term ends, to “give the people of Texas ample time to consider who my successor will be.” Hutchison’s retirement plans aren’t necessary surprising: in the run-up to last year’s GOP gubernatorial primary in Texas, where she ran against and lost to incumbent Rick Perry, she had talked about resigning from the Senate to focus full-time on her campaign, but decided to stay on. In the announcement she notes that she had “intended to leave this office long before now”, but was persuaded to remain.

Hutchison, as ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, has played a major role in space policy on the Senate side, often closely working with Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), as was the case last year with the NASA authorization legislation. Nelson, incidentally, is also up for reelection in 2012, and while he’s given every indication he plans to run again, he may face a much stronger challenge than in 2006. It’s thus possible two of major architects of that authorization legislation now guiding NASA may not be around two years from now.

5 comments to Sen. Hutchison won’t run for reelection in 2012

  • Vladislaw

    Let’s hope that they are replaced with Senators that understand the value of the American free enterprise system and get NASA out of the, ground based, launch and operations business and work on the development of space based, ‘gas and go’ reusable EDS and habitat. Once NASA gets a commercial gas station in space real BEO exploration can finally begin.

  • Robert G. Oler

    Vladislaw wrote @ January 13th, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    Let’s hope that they are replaced with Senators that understand the value of the American free enterprise system

    …I am hoping Bill White runs for the Senate seat. he learned a lot in the (failed) Gov race…and he would make a powerful proponent of free enterprise

    Robert G. Oler

  • Martijn Meijering

    Once NASA gets a commercial gas station in space real BEO exploration can finally begin.

    Once NASA starts *buying propellant in orbit*, not once they have access to a depot. Wat they need is a refuelable spaceship. They could start with something as simple as a tug, based on the Orion SM + Orion avionics if necessary.

  • DocM

    The political sites say someone from these lists

    Likely Reps (who have an advantage in conservative Texas)

    Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (very popular & could self-fund)
    Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert
    former Secretary of State Roger Williams
    Railroad Commission Michael Williams
    Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones

    Likely Dems

    U.S. Trade Rep. Ron Kirk
    former comptroll John Sharp
    former Houston Mayor Bill White (denies interest, but many Dems want him)

  • Egad

    > I am hoping Bill White runs for the Senate seat.

    He says he’s not:

    http://blog.mysanantonio.com/texas-politics/2011/01/white-says-no/

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