GOP's Hutchison Will Stay in Senate

Kay Bailey Hutchison is staying in the Senate after all. The Texas Republican announced today that she will serve out the remainder of her term through 2013, despite pledges during her failed bid for governor that she would resign early, reports the Dallas Morning News. "My experience will be better used fighting this effort by the president and the Congress to do so much to take away the essence of America," she said.

The decision is good news for Republicans, says Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. Hutchison caught flak for moving toward the center, but she's been "firm on conservative positions." And had she left, Democrat Bill White might have won the special election. "With Hutchison’s decision to stay, the GOP has one less worry in November, which allows them to focus on winning seats held by Democrats rather than playing defense." (More Kay Bailey Hutchison stories.)