In governor's race, the televised debate is a big boost for Debra Medina

The Republican race for Texas governor is becoming more interesting. Dallas-based KERA TV station has just invited Wharton County activist Debra Medina to participate in the Jan. 14 debate which initially included only incumbent Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the governor’s main challenger in the March 2 GOP primary.

For Medina, who describes herself as the true conservative in this year’s gubernatorial race, this could be the break she has long been pushing for. The debate, which will be carried by all or most PBS stations statewide, will give her the visibility she needs to make the GOP gubernatorial contest a three-candidate race.

As I noted in a September column “most Texans probably haven’t heard of Debra Medina but among Republican Party of Texas stalwarts the South Texas native is rapidly making a name for herself.”

The debate is likely to help Medina a lot more than to Perry or Hutchison because it will give her the name recognition she needs to move up in the opinion polls, which have not been higher than 7 percent. If in the debate Medina is as articulate as she is in her TV commercials and the videos that her campaign puts on YouTube, her political stock is likely to rise to a much higher level.

The winner of the Perry-Hutchison-Medina race is likely to face former Houston Mayor Bill White in the Nov. 2 general election. White is considered the front runner among five Democratic hopefuls because he is the only one with name recognition and has the backing of party leaders. He is also expected to raise millions of dollars for is what is expected to be an expensive race.