http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/022705dntexgop.695ce.htmlDrama at GOP's Southfork dinner
11:41 PM CST on Saturday, February 26, 2005
By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
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Mr. Perry has lined up endorsements and a statewide campaign organization. Ms. Hutchison has kept her options open, but Republicans have little doubt that she is laying the groundwork.
Still, the question of Ms. Hutchison's intention was the elephant in the room Saturday night. But then, as Rep. Michael Burgess of Flower Mound put it, "We're Republicans. There's always an elephant in the room."
The senator and governor kept their distance, sitting at different tables. At the Ewing Mansion, donors and the governor posed beneath a photo of Jock Ewing with the evening's keynote speaker, Ann Coulter.
Ms. Hutchison held court in the banquet building.
The senator didn't want to talk about the governor's race. "There'll be plenty of time for that later," she said. "I'll say something this summer."
Mr. Perry deflected questions about his rival but left no doubt about his preference.
"I don't blush about it. I tell people straight away, the best place for the senator is in Washington, D.C., helping us deliver for Texas," he said. "The grassroots, by and large, believe in the elected officials that they've got – in the positions that they're in."
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