2010: Newsweek Calls the Governor's Race

Newsweek has done its best Carnac the Magnificent impression and divined that the ultimate victor in the race to be the next governor of Texas will be ... drumroll please ...

Bill White?! 

In a recently released list of 10 political predictions for 2010, number 10 is "Democrats Steal Texas Governor's Mansion."

If Newsweek's future sources are right, White's defeated opponent in November will be Rick Perry, who will have toppled Kay Bailey Hutchison in the March primary.  There's no word on if she's managed to escape the U.S. Senate yet.

It'll go down like this:

The colorful insults hurled over the past few months will only intensify as Perry, who’s favored by ultraconservatives, tries to escape Hutchinson’s charges that he’s marginalized and sullied the party. Our money’s on Perry as the victor in the March primary, if only for the anti-Washington sentiment swirling around the state. But he won’t emerge unscathed. As the primary takes its toll on his public image, doors open for the likely Democratic candidate, well-liked Houston Mayor Bill White, whose energy and planning initiatives, along with his economic management, have won him broad favor. By building a coalition of Hispanics, independents, and moderate Republicans from Texas’s growing, more Democrat-friendly urban centers, White will waltz into the governor’s mansion. But just barely.

Perry isn't bothered by this analysis — he has better things to do than read Newsweek. "The Governor is focused on running the state and his race," says Perry spokesman Mark Miner.

Joe Pounder, a spokesman for Hutchison's campaign, took a similar approach, saying, "While Newsweek roots for certain candidates, Kay Bailey Hutchison is focused on fighting for Texas and tackling the challenges that confront our state so we remain strong into the future."

Unsurprisingly, White spokesperson Katy Bacon isn't surprised."Texans are tired of partisan battles and rhetoric instead of results. They're ready for a strong leader like Bill White," she says.