Hutchison Backs Gay Man for U.S. Attorney

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has caused a stir in Texas with her recommendation that the Obama administration name a gay judge and prosecutor as U.S. attorney in San Antonio. The pick, one of two also endorsed by her colleague Sen. John Cornyn, could complicate Hutchison's relationship with social conservatives as she challenges Gov. Rick Perry for the GOP gubernatorial nomination next year.

Hutchison and Cornyn named Robert Pitman, a highly regarded judge, as one of their two picks for the top prosecutor's job in the Western District of Texas. Pitman is an out gay man, a fact that irks conservative Republicans, according to The Dallas Morning News.

"Tim Lambert, president of the Texas Home School Coalition, a former member of the Republican National Committee -- and, like nearly all prominent social conservatives in Texas who have picked sides, a Perry supporter -- the recommendation 'very unusual and disturbing,'" the News reported.

However, the other pick for the position, San Antonio defense attorney Michael McCrum, appears to be more likely to get the job because he also enjoys the support of the Texas Democratic congressional delegation.