2010: Star-Telegram for White

The Democratic nominee for governor has run the big-city newspaper endorsement table.

Joining its counterparts in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, the take-its-sweet-time Fort Worth Star-Telegram today backed Bill White is his quest to deny Rick Perry a third full term in office. Citing the perils of "one-party government" and the incumbent's tendency to bash Washington, D.C., at a time of "hard economic reality," the paper argued that White's attributes are what Texas needs right now:

White isn't flashy or telegenic. He'll never be mistaken for charismatic. He's also not the hard-left liberal that his opponents are attempting to paint. Before serving as a popular mayor of Houston, White was the assistant U.S. secretary of energy. His background as a successful business owner and a fiscal conservative would serve the state well as the Legislature wrestles with a budget shortfall that could range from $10 billion to $22 billion.

The only newspapers to endorse Perry thus far are the Waco Tribune-Herald, which was enthusiastic in its support of the Republican nominee, and the Midland Reporter-Telegram, which was not. Perry has declined to seek the blessing of newspaper editorial boards during both the primary and general election campaigns.