DALLAS — Former President George H.W. Bush will endorse Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison for the GOP nomination for governor on Friday, and former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will campaign with the incumbent, Rick Perry, on February 7.
But one of Perry's main attacks against Hutchison probably won't be brought up when Palin comes to Texas.
Palin, the former Alaska governor, excited her fans when she came to Plano in December promoting her book. And Gov. Perry is excited she will join him in Houston next month.
"I want Sarah Palin in Texas campaigning for me," Perry said. "She's the type of committed conservative that I like."
Since the race for the Republican nomination for governor heated up last summer, Perry has criticized Hutchison for voting for the Wall Street bailout in 2008, referring to her as "Kay Bailout." He's made that the central part of his campaign.
But what the Perry campaign hasn't talked about is that Palin supported the bailout, too.
She explained her backing to CNN after the November, 2008 election: "With home mortgages and overall with the general bailout plan, yes, I think it was the right thing to do," Palin said. "The federal government had to take some action."
As Perry announced Palin's upcoming Texas visit, News 8 asked him how he can stand with Palin if she stands with Hutchison on the bailout.
"I'm not sure any of us could find a candidate out there — someone who would endorse us or would endorse them — that we agree with 100 percent of the time," Perry said.
The Hutchison campaign calls Perry's stance a 100 percent flip-flop, saying he was also for the bailout before he took a stand against it.
Perry claims he was never for it.
But Palin revs up the social conservative Republican voters that Perry needs, and he hopes she delivers.
"I thank the good Lord that she's going to be here to spend the time," Perry said.
E-mail bwatson@wfaa.com
