Texas primary, jobs and restraints

She is the clear underdog against Gov. Rick Perry (R), who has a good shot of avoiding a runoff by winning more than 50 percent of the vote. In recent polls, Perry is in the high 40s, with Hutchison in high 20s and Debra Medina in the teens.

{mosads}But if Hutchison can keep Perry under 50 percent, she would have new life in an April 13 runoff.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, the House and Senate will continue to work on jobs legislation. The House has to decide whether it will move the Senate-passed jobs measure. Initially, House Democratic leaders indicated they would bring the Senate bill to the floor, but Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus balked.

As the House debates its strategy for dealing with the nation’s unemployment rate, the Senate will look to clear a bipartisan package of tax extenders.

The House later this week will vote on a bill that seeks to restrain schools’ use of inappropriate restraint and seclusion on their students.

House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) has noted that many children have been abused, and some have died, because of the use of restraints in public and private schools. Miller’s legislation cleared his panel earlier this month, 34-10.

President Barack Obama is expected to outline how he wants Congress to move healthcare reform forward following last week’s summit at the White House. Most lawmakers believe he will endorse using reconciliation rules.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) hopes to release a financial regulatory reform bill this week. He has been talking with both panel ranking member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) about it.

There are many hearings this week, ranging on topics from agency appropriation requests to the U.S. trade agenda to crime-reduction strategies.

Player of the Week: Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.)

The ethics committee report issued last week has loosened Rep. Charles Rangel’s (D-N.Y.) grip on the Ways and Means Committee gavel.

When any powerful politician runs into trouble, the opposing party is quick to criticize.

After news broke that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) made racially insensitive remarks, many Republicans pounced and a few called for him to give up his leadership position.

But Reid persevered. Why? Because not one Democrat called for his head.

Of course, Reid reached out to many Democrats to apologize, which greatly helped his cause.

Rangel is in a much more precarious position. A handful of Democrats have publicly called for him to step aside as chairman, and more are likely to echo that call this week.

For now, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is siding with Rangel, waiting for other ethics probes to be completed. But Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) said on C-SPAN this weekend that it would probably be better for Democrats if Rangel stepped down. He said Rangel deserves to have “his day in court,” but still, Miller is one of Pelosi’s closest allies, which is telling.

This week is crucial for Rangel. Republicans will seek another vote calling for him to lose his chairmanship. The last time Republicans brought such a resolution to the House floor, two Democrats bucked the party. More will probably do so this week. If it’s more than 10, Rangel will be on the ropes.

Pelosi is in a difficult spot. Removing Rangel would be an ugly process, especially because he has no clear successor. Keeping him as chairman makes reelection that much tougher for her politically vulnerable colleagues.

Rangel has many friends in the House, and those relationships will be much-needed assets as he tries to survive this intensifying controversy.

In a 2008 interview with The Hill, he likened his ethics controversy to being in a hospital bed.

“Everyone’s coming to see you, but you wish you weren’t in the hospital,” he said, noting that many colleagues have wished him well.