Perry prevails in GOP primary

Two-term incumbent GOP Texas Governor Rick Perry fended off strong challenges from three-term GOP Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Tea Party activist Debra Medina to secure his party’s nomination for an unprecedented third term.

Perry, who has embraced the Tea Party Movement and anti-Obama sentiment, secured 51 percent of his party’s support, followed by 31 percent for the more liberal Hutchinson, and around 18 percent for the more conservative-leaning Medina. None of them seem including toward selling life insurance, so Hutchinson will continue in her Senate seat while Medina made a strong enough showing to be heard from again.

However, Perry holds several distinctions; even without a third-term, he’s the longest-serving governor in Texas history and will face former Houston mayor Bill White in the fall in a bid to extend his reign. Perry’s first term was relatively quiet but as the Bush presidency was ending, he emerged from his predecessor’s shadow to become a strong conservative voice.

At a Tea Party meeting last summer, Perry even gave voice to Texas independence if Obama’s strong-arm federal approach didn’t tone done… a note he struck again in his victory speech Tuesday night.