The Midday Brief: February 9, 2010

Your afternoon reading

"The poll of 423 likely Republican voters found Medina particularly strong among those angry at Washington. Among the third of voters in the poll who said they disapproved of Washington, Medina topped Perry, 37 percent to 32 percent." — Poll: Debra Medina closing on Kay Bailey Hutchison — Politico

"No question Texas is behind the curve compared to these other states, particularly in terms of funding high-speed rail." — The debate over Texas high-speed rail heats up; state officials say they're making progress — Texas on the Potomac

"Steve Salazar, State Chair for the Mexican American Democrats of Texas, said that Farouk Shami's "willingness to sit down and listen, to talk to people about issues that affect us as a group-not only the economy and jobs, but also immigration and crime-led us to make this endorsement." — Shami gets Mexican-American Democrats backing — Texas Politics

"Labyrinthine campaign-finance laws serve mainly to entrench incumbents and empower those special interests either exempted from regulation (i.e., the institutional media) or best able to navigate the maze of rules." — How the Plaintiffs Bar Bought the Senate — The Wall Street Journal

New in The Texas Tribune

"My campaign has been run on a shoestring budget, but it’s a case study for what We Texans are capable of accomplishing with less money, less resources." — 2010: Medina Catching Kay?

"While Dragsbaek has been waging war to get vaccines to more children, Richardson has been just as active in reminding parents they have a choice." — This Might Hurt

"Gov. Rick Perry's latest TV spot marks the first appearance of "liberal Barney Frank" in Texas's GOP primary race ad wars." — Ads Infinitum: Perry's "1993"