This is our fourth biannual Republican Primary Voter's Guide. Each guide has gotten larger and is more broadly mailed. The 2010 Texas Republican Primary ballot is large, diverse and of critical importance. In Harris County, we live in a new political world and it is a competitive one. The Democrats' success in 2008 means Republicans need to be very careful about the candidates we select to run in November. Are the candidates qualified? Can they run a winning campaign? Are they the most electable candidate? Do they share most of our core conservative values? In endorsing, TCR seriously looked at all the choices in contested races and did not endorse in every race – only in races where there is a clear conservative choice. Sometimes we did co-endorsements; for some races we will wait for the runoff. We also tell you what we think of the candidates so you can judge for yourself. It is also important that you vote the entire primary ballot. We have fine candidates from the top to the bottom, all working hard for your consideration.

Let's be clear, the next Governor of Texas must be a Republican for a myriad of reasons. In Vol. IX, No. 1 of TCR's e-mail newsletter we outline the five qualities we need for our candidates: ideology, electability, qualifications, a team player and vision. In the Governor's race, your Editor knows all three candidates well and respects all three. Reviewing the choices, TCR believes Kay Bailey Hutchison is the right choice. She is conservative; witness her strong conservative ratings: American Conservative Union 90%, NRA A+ Rating, Americans for Tax Reform 95%, National Right to Life 94%. She is the most electable candidate, which is critical this year, especially in the competitive Harris and Dallas Counties. This fact is confirmed by polls, going back as far as a year ago, KBH is a stronger November candidate than her opponents. KBH is also highly qualified with vast experience, from the state legislature, to her position as State Treasurer and then on to the U.S. Senate. KBH will also help draw independents into the Republican Party, where they will be voting for her and other Republicans in critical down ballot races. Finally, KBH shows vision with a platform that leads the way to lowering taxes, getting our economy going, fixing our broken executive branch, fixing our transportation system, improving education, securing our border, and on and on.

TCR Note: Kay is the strong conservative leader we need in Texas in 2010. And did TCR remind you Kay beats Bill White in November, not just in Texas, but also in Harris County, the key county for Texas Republicans.

Red, White & Blue, featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland and liberal commentator David Jones on Houston PBS Channel 8 at HoustonPBS.org. Next week: Democratic Lt Governor candidate Ronnie Earle, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Karl Rove. As a new fun feature, visit Red, White & Blue on the Houston PBS website, where you can see after-show commentary about the show and its guests by Gary and David.

Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events - The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his thirteenth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last eight years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.