Leticia Van de Putte

In taking herself out of the 2010 Texas governor’s race on Tuesday, Democratic state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte encouraged one of her state Senate colleagues to make the race.

Van de Putte, who represents the San Antonio region, said in a statement that she did not want to run for governor because she did not want her family to endure what Van de Putte described as the Republicans’ “scorched earth ‘say anything to win’ vicious attacks against political opponents.”