AUSTIN -- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, considering a run for governor, drew cheers at the state Republican convention Friday when she proclaimed her opposition to the Trans-Texas Corridor toll highway dear to Gov. Rick Perry.
Hutchison stuck mostly to federal issues and her support of John McCain's presidential bid during her convention speech but dipped her toe into a state controversy by telling the convention crowd that she was fighting tolls on existing highways.
"These initiatives are a violation of the public trust. And that's why I strongly oppose the Trans-Texas Corridor," Hutchison said. "We must continue to work together to solve our transportation problems in a fair and honorable way for the people of Texas."
Perry is running for re-election and may be challenged in the primary by Hutchison, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick, a former Houston talk-radio host.
Perry proposed the Trans-Texas Corridor superhighway in 2002, and it's been a cornerstone of his administration. He says it's needed to help deal with growth and solve Texas' traffic snarls. Opponents say it threatens private property, including some farms and ranches that have been in families for generations.
This week, state officials tried to calm landowners by announcing that the superhighway would be built using existing rights of way.
"Thank goodness!" Hutchison said about the new plan. The decision doesn't affect the first phase of the corridor, which roughly parallels Interstate 35 through Central Texas.
Dewhurst criticized the corridor at the convention Thursday; Perry never mentioned the project when he spoke.
Hutchison also urged support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and criticized Democrats for "calling for surrender." She also said America needed to drill for oil domestically to replace imported oil.
Sen. John Cornyn, running for re-election against Democrat Rick Noriega, never mentioned his opponent as he talked up his own conservative credentials.
"I have protected the sanctity of human life. I have opposed immoral experimentation done in the name of science. And I have supported the traditional American family," Cornyn said.
Cornyn also said the United States needs reform of its broken immigration system.
"The law protects all of us, no matter where we come from or how we pronounce our last names. But we must commit to a legal immigration system that serves the best interests of our country," Cornyn said.
Former presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich also were in Friday's convention lineup. Romney was the featured evening speaker and the designated surrogate for McCain.
Huckabee praised presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama as "a very dynamic, charismatic Democrat nominee" and said he hoped Obama's status as the first black presidential nominee means racism is in the past.
Then he added, "I think Senator Obama has gone far enough this year."
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