(Texas) Patrick to explore run for U.S. Senate

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2011/05/27/patrick_to_explore_run_for_us.html

State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, announced on the Laura Ingraham radio show this morning that he will explore a run for the U.S. Senate in 2012.

The announcement comes at the end of a week in which Patrick has openly feuded with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who is also weighing a Senate run. Patrick blames Dewhurst for the fact that he could not get the votes in the Senate for a bill that would criminalize groping by airport-security personnel.

Patrick said he would be the only candidate in the race with a “proven conservative voting record and a long history of fighting for conservative causes.”

Patrick, a state senator since 2007, became a prominent player in Texas politics through his talk-radio show, which he still hosts.

He used to be a sportscaster on Channel 11 in Houston.