Texas Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison might have traded barbs with Texas Gov. Rick Perry during the last Texas gubernatorial election, but she insisted Wednesday that she will support whoever the nominee is, even if it is her former political nemesis.
“Of course I will be for the Republican nominee for President. We need new leadership that understands how to create jobs in America,” she said in an interview with David Asman on Fox Business set to air Wednesday night. “We have got to get rid of overregulation, overtaxation of our businesses so our private sector can thrive.”
“I will support the Republican nominee, whoever it is, because I know we can do better for our economy,” Hutchison said.
Perry is currently polling as one of the early front-runners in the Republican presidential primary race.
Despite their wranglings when she attempted to unseat him as governor in 2010, Hutchison appears to have put the past behind her.
“It was a very tough race. He had told our supporters he wouldn’t run and changed his mind. I was running for an open seat for governor, I thought, but he pivoted and decided to run again,” she said. “I thought I was unfairly criticized, but of course I would think so. (RELATED: Perry signs pro-life pledge)
“I’m concentrating on finishing my last year and a half, and trying to help get our ship of state on the right course.”