Path to Power
Hutchison was raised in La Marque, Texas, by a family with deep political roots. Her father was an insurance agent, but her great-great grandfather signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was friends with Sen. Thomas Jefferson Rusk (D-Texas), the first man to be elected Senator from Texas.
Hutchison is a natural campaigner, winning elections for every office and honor she ran for, including prom queen, according to her mother. Hutchison went to undergraduate and law school at the University of Texas, and when she couldn’t get a job at a law firm, she went into television journalism, becoming one of the first female TV reporters in Texas.
After a few years of reporting, she decided to run for the Texas House and in 1972 she became that body’s first female member. Ray Hutchison was in the same freshman class, and the two became very close. After Kay Bailey spent two years on the National Transportation Board from 1976 to 1978, they got married. Ray ran for governor later that year and lost. “I ran for governor in 1978 and it’s obvious we ran the wrong [Hutchison] candidate,” he said. “That’s painfully clear.”
Kay Bailey Hutchison lost an election for the U.S. House in 1982, and in 1990, she was elected state treasurer, an office that put her in good stead to run for Senate when Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) resigned after 22 years. Gov. Ann Richards (D) appointed Bob Krueger (D) to the seat, and there was a four-way election to fill it permanently. Krueger and Hutchison advanced to a runoff, where Hutchison won in a landslide.
Shortly after being elected the first female senator from Texas, Hutchison came under investigation for allegedly having staff do personal and political work for her while she was state treasurer. She was acquitted of all charges shortly after being sworn in, but some thought the cloud would mar her 1994 reelection campaign. It didn’t. She won easily with more than 60 percent of the vote, and in 2000, she became one of five senators in U.S. history to be elected with more than four million votes.
2010 Gubernatorial Candidate
Hutchison pondered running for governor in both 2002 and 2006, but decided not to challenge incumbent Gov. Perry in the primary. But she reversed course in August 2009, throwing her hat into the ring and attacking Perry for wanting a third term, which would mean 14 years in office. 
"We can't afford 14 years of one person appointing every state board, agency and commission," Hutchison said. "It invites patronage. It tempts cronyism. And it has to stop - now."
Hutchison said Perry's decision to refuse $550 million in federal stimulus money was "irresponsible," and called the Texas Department of Public Transportation, which has built many state roads under Perry's tenure, the "most arrogant, unaccountable state agency in the history of Texas."
In July 2009, Hutchison said she raised $6.7 million during the first half of 2009, $2.5 million more than Perry raised in that time period, though Perry was limited by rules that prevented him from raising money during the legislative session.
