In this exclusive interview Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND-supported candidate for governor in the Republican Primary, discusses why she wants to be governor of Texas and her plans for leading the Lone Star State into the future in this exclusive interview.

Q: Why do you want to be governor of Texas?
A: I love Texas. I think there are problems that are not being fixed. Texas is better today than most other states. But if we don’t fix transportation; if we don’t do better in public education; if we don’t stop the cronyism that is creeping into our state government, we’re not going to be the best in 20 years.

Q: We’re closing in on the Republican primary. How is your campaign going?
A: It’s going really well. I’m so excited to be home and campaigning throughout Texas. I had a tough December because I stayed in the Senate to fight this disastrous health care reform being pushed through Congress. But now I am going to be home. I’m going to get to talk about the state issues I care so much about. So, I think it’s going great. I think it’s going to be a real horse race, and I think I’m going to win.

Q: Governor Kay Bailey Hutchison: That has a nice ring to it. How do you envision your role as governor of Texas?
A: I want to be a governor that everyone believes is for all of the people, not just inside Austin talking to lobbyists. I want people to feel good about Texas and about our state government. I’m going to make some changes. I am going to be a forceful leader. And I’m going to try to take Texas to the next level so that we will be the very best for the long term, not just for today.

Q: What would you do differently than our current governor?
A: I am going to be a governor who appoints the very best people to the boards and commissions and then lets them do their job. I want the very best for Texas. I want it to be based on what’s right for Texas based on our long term future. I want to build our economy. I want to have an educated workforce so that we don’t have to lose jobs. I want a transportation system that is free and good. And also keep our economic system going. I am going to make sure we have for the future what is right for our state.

Q: Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND President Kenneth Dierschke said you received AGFUND support because “We trust Kay Bailey Hutchison.” What have you done to earn that trust?
A: With Governor Perry, I think they see he says one thing during an election, but then, when the legislature passes something and he vetoes it—like the real eminent domain fix—that takes away trust. With our relationship, we have always had the ability to talk about issues and I’ve always been sure that the Texas Farm Bureau knew what I was doing, why I was doing it. I can’t think of a time that I didn’t work with the Farm Bureau on issues that were important to the agriculture community. And I think that’s what establishes trust. I did it before the election and after the election and that’s the difference.

Q: The last months of 2009 were an important time to be campaigning in Texas. Yet you chose to remain in Washington. Why?
A: I had really hoped I’d be out of the Senate by now because I love campaigning in Texas and I want to talk about the state issues. But when the majority leader of the Senate said health care would not be finished before the end of the year, I knew that was a game changer. So I stayed to fight. We did everything we could to stop this bill. We’re not finished yet. And when there is a filibuster at the end of this bill, I’ll be there because it is so important for the quality of life for every American, for every business that is going to be fined or taxed, for every person who has coverage that has too much or has coverage that is not enough, they’re going to be fined, too. And I’m going to be there fighting. At the same time, I want to be elected governor because there are so many things we need to do to make Texas better, and I think I’m the only one who can challenge Governor Perry and win.

Q: Let’s jump to Texas issues. Transportation: The state’s population is going to boom in the next few years. How do we address transportation?
A: We must have a complete reorganization of TxDOT. The leadership at TxDOT has become arrogant. They have mismanaged the funds that taxpayers have put into that agency. And I will say right off the bat, the people who work in the trenches at TxDOT are very good. Engineers there know their business. The regional district directors know their business. But the leadership has become so hands-on that they are project managers. What we need is a board of directors that are managers—who make the policy—and then let experts do the work to implement that policy.

For one thing, we have increased—in Governor Perry’s term—the money that goes into TxDOT by 60 percent. That’s hundreds of billions of dollars. And yet the result is a 1 percent increase in highway miles. That is a mismanagement of our tax dollars. There is in TxDOT a strategy that we need more toll roads. In fact, if you want any highway money from TxDOT at the local level, they require that you put toll roads in. That’s not the strategy I would pursue as governor. I want our reputation for great road systems and freeways to come back for Texas. The last 10 years in Texas since Governor Perry took over, it’s been massive taxes and toll roads. And that’s wrong.

I want to change that strategy and do it in a way that uses the existing rights-of-way so that we don’t use eminent domain for a massive land grab as Governor Perry’s Trans-Texas Corridor would do. The Trans-Texas Corridor is still on the books. It is not dead and it will not be dead until I am governor of Texas. I will kill the Trans-Texas Corridor, once and for all.

Q: Eminent Domain. Proposition 11 was a good thing for Texas. It passed overwhelmingly. Is it enough? Where do we need to go from here?
A: Proposition 11 was a good thing. And it took us one step. But the real reform of eminent domain was vetoed by Governor Perry. It was passed by the Legislature overwhelmingly but vetoed by Governor Perry.

I favor the private property owners. I want to make sure a fair offer is made to private property owners, so they don’t have to go in and hire lawyers to get a fair price for land when eminent domain is necessary. I want to make sure they have right of access. And, I want to make sure that if you use eminent domain, and then you don’t actually use the property, that the homeowner gets it back for the price that person got for that piece of property. Those principles would really make sure that private property owners have a fair shake if eminent domain is necessary.

Q: Education is very important to you. What needs to be done in Texas?
A: For one thing, we cannot accept that we have the highest dropout rate in America. If we don’t have an educated workforce, we’re not going to have the good jobs of the future. And we’re not going to have the best practices for the future if we don’t have the technology and the education and the capabilities to continue to improve the way we do things.

A young person who drops out of high school in the 9th or 10th grade has a future of a minimum wage job that will not support a family. We need to make sure that every young person graduates from high school with a skill or trade, using community college training to give them a certification of a skill that gives them a new job. You can be a high school graduate with community college technical training and you can get a good job to support your families. Beyond that, we need to make sure that every young person has access to college-ready courses in high school, so we encourage them to go to college.

Q: Is there a message you would like to personally deliver to Farm Bureau members?
A: I have had the greatest working relationship with Texas Farm Bureau in all of my years of public service in Texas. I so appreciate the support they have given me and I hope I can encourage every single member of the Farm Bureau to help me get elected; to talk to their neighbors and friends; to get their e-mails out; to make a commitment to bring at least five people to the polls on election day. Election Day starts on March 2; that’s the Republican Primary. And then, of course, in November there will be the final, general election.

I will be a governor who protects private property rights, who rebuilds our transportation system, who makes sure we have public education that meets the needs and the aspirations of every child in our state. That’s what I want for the future and that will be my commitment to the Farm Bureau and all of the people of Texas.