It's always amuzing to see the Republicans duke it out in an intraparty struggle for power. CQ Today's Midday Update (free email service) passes on this story out of Texas.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Gov. Rick Perry are continuing to trade "subtle and not so subtle digs" against each other as they position themselves for the 2006 Texas gubernatorial race, according to the Dallas Morning News. Hutchison was scheduled to speak at the Harris County GOP's annual dinner on Tuesday night, but hours before she took the podium, Perry released a list of endorsements from Houston-area Republican leaders. "If it sounded like the dinner's guest roster, it was no accident," reports the paper. Even county GOP chairman Jared Woodfill -- the master of ceremonies for the program -- was on the list. Hutchison has not made her candidacy official, and she did not speak directly about Perry at the dinner. But she has established a campaign team that by all counts would be overkill if she is planning to return to the Senate, the paper reports.

[Original story here]

The Democrats have had a lot of trouble in Texas ever since George W. Bush defeated Governor Ann Richards in 1994. If the (expected) primary battle between Perry and Hutchison becomes to heated, a conservative/moderate Democrat like Chris Bell or Martin Frost might be able to pick up either the governorship or the Senate seat.