13
The Republican convention in Fort Worth was decidedly different in several respects. If
the delegates and speakers had any doubts about the party’s electoral prospects, they were not
evident. One similarity was in the relatively uneventful selection of the party chair. In 1997,
Susan Weddington had been chosen as the party’s first female chair when Tom Pauken
resigned to prepare a run for Attorney General in the GOP primary. Weddington, who had
strong credentials among social conservatives, won a full term after easily defeating a token
challenge from Republican Executive Committee member Shirley Thompson.
38
Unlike the Democrats, Republicans were divided in ideological and policy emphases and
in their orientation toward the party. The splits could be seen in speeches made by party
leaders, in controversies brought to the floor, and in the comments of individual delegates.
Among the speakers, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison stood at one end of the spectrum. After the
customary partisan rhetoric, she talked about taxes and other economic concerns. There was
no mention of social issues. At the other end, Lieutenant Governor candidate Rick Perry hit
hard on morality and values and targeted sex offenders, gang members, and “liberal special
interests.”
39
Governor Bush was somewhere in between. In tune with the delegates to the
convention, upwards of 80% of whom were estimated to be Christian conservatives, Bush
stressed social issues more than he normally did. Departing from his customary emphasis on
business, crime, and education, the governor moved delegates to their feet when he affirmed
his “reverence for life…a reverence for those lives yet unborn.”
40
Bush also touted sexual
abstinence and pledged to promote “a responsibility era for this state, a culture which says each
of us is responsible…for our actions.”
41
Consistent with his record during his time in office, the
governor endorsed tax cuts, literacy programs, and crime control measures.
There were several lively debates on the convention floor over party rules. One
concerned whether people who did not vote in either party’s primary should be allowed to
participate in the Republican precinct convention in their district. (Precinct conventions are held
the night of the primary and choose delegates to the county or state senatorial district
Convention