Perry Not Resigning During Presidential Campaign
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Already a big name in Texas, Governor and GOP primary candidate Rick Perry now faces the challenge of making an impression in the other 49 states.
"If Gov. Perry is going to really stand a chance to win the nomination and win the election, he's got to spend a great deal of time in the rest of the country," said political analyst, John Weekley.
So, who'll be left to run the state?
Lt. Governor David Dewhurst is officially in charge in Perry's absence. But, he's also busy with his own campaign for the U.S. Senate.
Two decades ago, Rick Perry himself had an interesting opinion on just this scenario.
In 1989, as a state representative, he proposed an amendment to the Texas Constitution "providing for the automatic resignation from office of a person … who becomes a candidate for another elective office."
It failed to pass back then, but the issue of resigning one office to campaign for another still plagues politicians.
Last year, Perry ribbed Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson about her indecisiveness on stepping down to run for governor.
"Are you gonna resign from the United States Senate?" he asked during a debate in Denton.
Governor Perry himself, though, has given no sign of resigning.
"The governor has no intention of resigning," said campaign spokesperson, Mark Miner.
President Barack Obama did not resign his senate seat to run for office, and President George W. Bush served as Texas governor through his campaign.
