Soechting calls Radnofsky a " tough, very legitimate candidate."

Star-Telegram | 06/26/2005 | Hutchison's choice likely to fuel her ascent: "Hutchison has $7.5 million in campaign donations and an approval rating of 67 percent, compared with 45 percent for Perry, according to the May Texas Poll. After 12 years in the Senate, she is widely considered a virtual shoo-in for re-election next year, although Texas Democrats dispute the notion that she is invincible.

The only apparent Democratic challenger is Barbara Ann Radnofsky, 48, a partner in the Houston-based law firm Vinson & Elkins. Although she is waging her first political campaign, Radnofsky has raised a half-million dollars and plans to portray Hutchison as a defender of administration policies harmful to average Americans.

'I'm not intimidated,' she said in a telephone interview.

State Democratic Party Chairman Charles Soechting calls Radnofsky a 'tough, very legitimate candidate. There is no question that the statewide race is going to be tough, but she's working every corner of this state hard. I have to be believe that's a recipe for an upset.'"