Texas Gov. to Hutchison: ‘Bring it On’

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is projecting confidence a day after Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) indicated she may challenge him in the Lone Star state’s 2010 gubernatorial race.

“Bring it on,” Perry told the Dallas Morning News about Hutchison’s announcement.

In her announcement, Hutchison indirectly took aim at Perry for Texas’s budgetary problems.

“While Texas is faring somewhat better economically than many other states, a positive future is not guaranteed,” she said. “It will take leaders who look ahead to meet the economic and budgetary challenges that are coming.”

Perry assumed the governorship after his predecessor, George W. Bush, was elected president. Elected to full terms in 2002 and 2006, Perry is eligible to seek a third term in 2010.