The Associated Press

Thu, Dec 4, 2008 (9:21 a.m.)

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is taking steps toward a run for Texas governor.

The Republican senator said in a news release Thursday that she's setting up a gubernatorial exploratory committee and transferring $1 million into it from her federal account.

Republican Gov. Rick Perry has already said he's in the race, so her moves could trigger a brutal campaign for the GOP nomination.

In a statement, Hutchison took several swipes at Perry, saying there's "too much bitterness, too much anger, too little trust, too little consensus and too much infighting" in Austin.

The race is in 2010.