DALLAS — After being defeated in her bid to unseat Rick Perry for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison left her watch party Tuesday night without taking questions from the press.
But even her supporters were asking: "What now?"
No answer came Wednesday, either.
"Kay Bailey Hutchison says she'll resign. I take her at her word," said Dallas Morning News senior political writer Wayne Slater. "My guess is it will be later rather than earlier."
Slater explains why the timing is complicated by a lot of factors. "I don't think she wants to resign quickly, because the reason to be in the Senate is because she wants to fight Obama health care."
Then there's the pressure to keep the seat safely in Republican hands.
"She's going to get all this pressure from her colleagues in Washington to stay in the Senate and serve out her term," Slater said.
Hutichison's term ends in 2012. Meanwhile, what about helping Rick Perry win the governor's race, as the Senator said in her concession speech?
"I don't think any of us doubt that there's no love lost between Kay Bailey Hutchison and Rick Perry," Slater said. "We're probably not going to see Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison holding their hands aloft very many times -- or not at all."
As a matter of procedure, if and when Sen. Hutchison does resign, the governor will appoint a replacement.
Later, a special election would be held to finish her term. But until she makes an announcement, it's all speculation.
E-mail jdouglas@wfaa.com
