U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, center, announces her decision to stay in the Senate for the rest of her term. She was joined by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, left, and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for the March 31 announcement in San Antonio.
Although she said she would leave the Senate whether she won the Republican gubernatorial primary in March or not, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) announced she would remain in the Senate to help fight for Texas.
After losing the primary to Republican Gov. Rick Perry, Hutchison said she has heard from constituents and colleagues urging her to stay in the Senate until her term ends in 2012. Hutchison said she received a letter signed by every Republican member of Congress from Texas pledging to fight alongside her.
The senator made the announcement a press conference in San Antonio on March 31, where she was joined by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and fellow Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
"For family reasons I had planned to begin making the transition home to Texas this spring," she said. "But it is clear to me that the stakes in our nation's capital have never been higher. President Obama's victory on health care legislation has emboldened those who want an even bigger and more intrusive federal government."
In the coming months, she said, the true costs of health care will come to light and the proposed cap and trade legislation will get more intense.
"On a personal level, this has been a most difficult decision, but after much deliberation, I have decided to complete my term," Hutchison said. "I will work alongside our great Texas congressional delegation to repeal and replace President Obama's massive health bill, to stop cap and trade legislation and to cut the deficit the president is building that is putting our economy in peril."
Hutchison is the ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee as well as the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.