GOP candidates move quickly to position themselves for Texas Senate

On the heels of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R-Texas) decision not to seek reelection next year, a host of Texas Republicans are moving quickly to declare their own intentions for 2012. 

In a message to supporters Thursday, Hutchison said her announcement "should give the people of Texas ample time to consider who my successor will be." 

One of the biggest names hanging out there on the Republican side is Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who put the rest of the field on notice quickly Thursday by saying he's considering jumping into the contest. 

In a statement, Dewhurst said he intends to "explore running for the United States Senate" and noted that if he ultimately decides to jump in, "I will run with the intention of winning." 

Gov. Rick Perry's (R) top political strategist Dave Carney told The Ballot Box late last year that if there's one Republican candidate who could have some field-clearing impact ahead of 2012, it would be Dewhurst.

Former Secretary of State Roger Williams also said Thursday he's ready for a campaign in 2012, noting, "I've been in campaign mode since January '09," according to The Dallas Morning News.

Many also expect a host of Tea Party candidates to enter the fray — a group that could be led by Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, who has been courting Tea Party groups in the state for more than a year.

On The Hill's Pundit's Blog, contributor Brent Budowsky talks up the mayor of San Antonio as the candidate to watch on the Democratic side. He pegs Julian Castro as "a rising star in Texas politics" and says there's "serious buzz" surrounding his potential candidacy already. 

Other rumored Democratic hopefuls include former state Comptroller John Sharp and former Houston Mayor Bill White, the party's nominee for governor in 2010 against Perry. White had expressed interest in the race after Hutchison first announced she would resign her seat to run for governor. A pledge she later rescinded. 

Hutchison's poll numbers and the persistent warnings from Tea Party activists in the state that she would face a tough primary likely played into the senator's decision.   

Hutchison's approval ratings within her own party are far worse than those of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) or former Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) as they headed into election years that saw them both lose Republican primaries to Tea Party-backed opponents. 

Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling measured Hutchison's approval among Republicans at just 58 percent in its last Texas survey. Pollster Tom Jensen points out that Murkowski's approval among GOP voters at the start of 2010 stood at 77 percent, while Castle won 69 percent approval from Republicans in the spring of 2009.