U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced her intention to stay in the race to be the Republican Party of Texas’ nominee for governor while continuing to serve in the Senate.

In her Nov. 14 address in Houston to the Texas Federation of Republican Women, Hutchison said she would not give up her Senate seat as long as a national health care bill and cap-and-trade energy legislation are on the table.

“I realize this will keep me in the Senate past the primary election,” she said.

Recent polls show incumbent Gov. Rick Perry leads Hutchison by about 12 points.

Commission policy

At a Nov. 10 hearing of the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, John Bradley, newly appointed chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission and Williamson County district attorney, said the commission had no written policies or rules yet and that guidance from the Legislature is needed.

Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, chair of the criminal justice committee and dean of the Senate, asked Bradley if the commission would continue to investigate the arson report that contributed to the Cameron Todd Willingham murder conviction and recent execution.

Bradley, who Gov. Perry brought in as chair when the investigation of the Willingham case already was in progress, said the commission will continue, but he refrained from stating a timetable for doing so.

Whitmire asked Bradley if his role as a district attorney presented a conflict of interest for him. Bradley said he believed it did not.

Some committee members expressed concern over whether the commission would conduct its business in an open and transparent way. Bradley responded that confidentiality is critical in the early stages of the investigatory process. Sen. Rodney Ellis, DHouston, raised questions over the governor’s possible influence over the commission. Bradley countered with an insinuation that Ellis’s position on the national board of directors of the Innocence Project might be a problem.