It’s official: Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is running for governor.

He’s the prohibitive favorite to win the Republican Party nomination next spring and with that, he’ll be the prohibitive favorite against any Democrat who decides to run. That’s the way it is in Texas politics these days, even if the Democratic Party has a budding superstar by the name of Wendy Davis.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/greg-abbott-makes-his-move

As the link attached here notes, Abbott didn’t offer any specifics when announcing Sunday his candidacy. He spoke in broad terms about how state government has to get out of the way while the state wrestles with vexing problems. That’s a fascinating approach, particularly as it relates to water management, which Abbott did acknowledge as one of the prime challenges facing Texas. The state needs an, um, statewide water management plan, don’t you think? The AG said, though, that we need to cut spending in Austin.

OK, let’s hope the specifics will arrive down the road as voters start dialing in on the gubernatorial race.

I’ll be mildly interested to see whether the current governor, Republican Rick Perry, endorses anyone in this contest. Another GOP candidate, former party chairman Tom Pauken, also is running. Remember, that Perry appointed Pauken to lead the Texas Workforce Commission, so one can presume the two men are political allies.

Despite my stated interest in whether Perry makes an endorsement, my hunch is that he’ll sit the primary out and then weigh in to back whoever wins that contest.

I’m still holding out hope that Pauken and Abbott make this an interesting and issues-filled contest. Neither man is a shrinking violet. As Pauken has noted, political favorites such as Abbott aren’t entitled to a “divine right of succession” to any public office.

They have to work for it. This contest will be fun to watch.