Perry camp: Radio Program Caller was Hutchison aide [View All]

[Rose Siding]

"Charlie from Flower Mound" seemed to like Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison a little too much.

The man phoned a Dallas radio show this week to air complaints about host Mark Davis' newspaper column, which said Ms. Hutchison should not challenge Gov. Rick Perry next year. "Charlie" spent about five minutes criticizing the governor and extolling the senator.

But what appeared to have been just another day in local talk radio has erupted into what may be the first public skirmish in a coming battle royal between two of Texas' top Republicans. It also offered a rare inside look at modern political gamesmanship.

Mr. Perry's campaign manager alleged Thursday that "Charlie" was really Chad Wilbanks, a top campaign organizer for Ms. Hutchison.
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The practice of calling radio talk shows or writing letters to the editor has evolved into a key part of political playbooks. Campaign operatives commonly get a candidate's supporters to add their voices to the public fray.

In his re-election bid, President Bush offered incentives such as signed campaign gear to volunteers who succeeded in getting through to radio and TV shows or who wrote the most letters to newspapers.

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