Ames Jones: Powering toward the Beltway?

Seems that the line to replace Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (if she actually does decide to run for governor in 2010, that is) was a little longer than anyone thought: It turns out that Republican Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones filled out the paperwork for an exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission back on Oct. 31.

This makes her the fourth political veteran with an eye to replacing Hutchison. Also on the Republican side, former Secretary of State Roger Williams threw his hat in the ring last week, while Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, filed back in July: On the Democratic side, only former Comptroller John Sharp has entered the race.

Jones’ application is actually for the 2012 election (when Hutchison’s term is supposed to end, and she’d already made it pretty clear she wasn’t planning on running again.) But it will probably do for a 2010 run, if necessary.

So who is Jones? The former House Republican from San Antonio stood down from her HD-121 seat in 2005 when Gov. Rick Perry offered her the Railroad Commission appointment (widely seen as a promotion.) While sitting on the commission (which now has nothing to do with trains and is just about energy management,) self-proclaimed conservative Jones has sometimes been accused of being too friendly to the oil industry.

This article appears in December 12 • 2008.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.