c579 Potential /E32 rivals of Clements line up AT HIS FIRST press conference, after only three days in office, Gov. William P. Clements Jr. was asked about reports that a well-known Demo- cratic figure was being groomed as a po- tential Clements adversary in 1982. "He'll have to get in line," Clements DAVE MONTGOMERY responded. "Lots of others are making these kinds of noises." He's right. Even though the seat "is hardly warm," as Clements puts it, his unprecedented stature as Republican governor has made him an automatic red flag for revenge-seeking Democrats who are looking ahead four years into the future at the prospects of unseating him. His potential adversaries include a growing cluster of familiar Democratic faces, including his Vanquished foe, John Hill, and his predecessor, Dolph Briscoe. OTHER FREQUENTLY mentioned possibilities are Democratic National Chairman John White, Former national Democratic committeeman Jess Hay, House Speaker Bill Clayton and the en- tire hierarchy of major Democratic statewide officeholders: Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, Atty. Gen. Mark White, State Land Commissioner Bob Armstrong and Comptroller Bob Bullock. The crowded field points to the long- est unofficial gubernatorial campaign in state history that will culminate official- ly with a wild free-for-all in the 1982 Democratic primary. (Within his own party, Clements may stay unopposed, since Republicans are just grateful to have one of their own in the governor's office after a century of political fa- mine.) Hill and Briscoe have dropped strong hints that they will be in the running, a matchup that would replay their 1978 Democratic primary confrontation that kicked Briscoe out of the governor's of- fice. Hill, according to associates, is telling friends "not to get rid of their bumper- stickers." Briscoe has made public state- • ments that he will make a political comeback; though he has not specified the race, most confidantes believe he will try to regain the job he held for six years and sought to keep for another four. Democrats who believe Hill and Bris- coe may be tainted by an insurmount- able losers image are putting their mon- ey on John White, the former Texas ag- riculture commissioner and longtime lib- eral leader who was recruited by Carter as National Democratic Committee chairman. White, who says he will probably leave the national party post after the 1980 presidential election to return to Texas, acknowledges that the governor's race is a "viable option." Although he says its too early to make a commitment, Hill backers who regard hirri as an en- emy contend that he is already assem- bling the machinery toward a 1982 gov- ernors race. ,WHITE MET privately weeken.d be- fore last in Austin with top Democratic leaders to lay out strategy for Carter's Texas re-election campaign. He plans similar trips back to the state each month. Potential chinks in White's armor are his closeness to Carter, widely resented in Texas, and his credentials as a liberal at a time when the philosophical pendu- lum is swinging to the right. The newest face on the political front is that of Jess Hay, a Dallas business- man and former Briscoe fund-raiser. Hay's friend and political associate, Jim Sale, is heading an informal organiza- tional effort to line up support for a pos- sible Hay entry into the race. Like his mentor, Briscoe, Hay carries conservative credentials. His record as a non-office-holder yields both assets and liabilities: a fresh face to the voters but lack of name identification. Additional- ly, his candidacy would put him on a collision course with an old ally if Bris- coe seeks a return trip to the governor's office. Men like Hobby and Clayton have been mentioned for years as probable gubernatorial material and Clements' sitting duck posture as the lone Republi- can in the state capitol may give them renewed incentive. Hobby is in his third term as lieuten- ant governor and will presumably be at a political crossroads by the time the next four-year election cycle ap- ikOkueua) 4-#4, INIsutad proaches. Clayton, re-elected this year to an unprecedented third term as House speaker, has already announced for. a fourth term during the 1981 legis- lative session. After that, he says, he will either seek a statewide elected of- fice (probably either governor or lieu- tenant governor) or return to his Pan- handle farm in Springlake. Armstrong, the ranking Democratic office-holder in state government, like Hobby, will be spending the upcoming months deciding whether to remain a career land commissioner, retire from politics, or make the plunge for another office. At one point, Bullock, the hard-talk- ing comptroller with a populist image. had been considered a strong contender for the 1982 race, but a grand jury in- vestigation into his office may leave him irreparably scarred. His suprise victory over a better known candidate gave new Atty. Gen. Mark White, another Briscoe protege, instant recognition as a political comer and friends say he wouldn't mind being governor. Some political sages, however, believe White lacks the experience and organizational muscle to make a run for the governor's office this early in his career. Regardless of who emerges to take on Clements — assuming he wants the job for another four years — there is little doubt that he will be under fine-tooth scrutiny by Democrats looking for the slightest flaw. A watchdog committee will be set up by the Texas Democratic Party to moni- tor Clements' every move. "When the time is right," says one party official. "we'll move."
