Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is prepared to resign from the Senate to focus on her gubernatorial campaign in Texas.

 

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) on Wednesday said for the first time that she is prepared to resign her Senate seat in October or November, paving the way for a May 2009 special election to replace her.

“I am trying to do everything that I can while I’m in office to responsibly serve as a senator, but it is hard because my heart is in Texas,” Hutchison told WBAP 820 AM. “The actual leaving of the Senate will be sometime — October, November, in that time frame.”

If Hutchison follows through with her resignation, attention on the GOP side will turn to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R), who would enter the race as the GOP front-runner and is a favorite of the national party, in large part because of his ability to self-fund.