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Gov. Perry defeats Hutchison in Texas GOP primary
Texas Gov. Rick Perry latched onto the rising wave of anti-Washington ire and rode it to an easy Republican primary win over Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, once seen as the candidate who could block his march toward four more years in the state's highest office.
Perry emerged from the rancorous fight with Texas' senior senator and a third candidate backed by some in the tea party movement to face a Democrat in many ways his polar opposite. Former Houston Mayor Bill White, a calm consensus-builder, easily defeated six opponents to win his party's nomination.
Shortly after Hutchison called him to concede, Perry continued his nonstop attack on the nation's capital, slamming Washington on spending, job losses and the heath care debate.
"Texas voters said no to Washington bureaucrats ... and yes to leadership that controls spending, fights for individual freedoms and the United States Constitution," Perry told cheering supporters at the famous Salt Lick barbecue restaurant in Driftwood, just outside Austin. "Hardworking Texans sent a simple, compelling message to Washington: Quit spending all the money!"
With nearly all precincts reporting, Perry had 51 percent to Hutchison's 30 percent. He managed to avoid a runoff even though nearly one in five voters cast ballots for the third candidate, Debra Medina, a GOP party activist who has strong libertarian leanings and supporters in the tea party movement.