WASHINGTON – Nearly half the Texas Republicans in Congress support Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in her bid to oust Gov. Rick Perry.

Perry doesn't tout a single endorsement. Those staying neutral worry about betting on the wrong horse. Many are loath to pick one friend over another.

Perry spokesman Mark Miner said he hasn't made much effort to court endorsements from Congress, and that makes sense. A blessing from Beltway insiders would undermine Perry's argument that Hutchison has lost touch with Texas values during her time in Washington.

Plus, he's probably had trouble overcoming the goodwill she has built in 16 years of helping House colleagues fund pet projects, and on a host of issues.

Still, it is telling that so many are willing to risk Perry's ire, though most are diplomatic in explaining their choice.

"Rick Perry is a friend of mine. I just think the senator would be a good governor," said Rep. John Carter of Round Rock.

The Hutchison camp includes nine of the 20 Texas Republicans in the House, among them moderates and conservatives: Reps. Kevin Brady of The Woodlands, Michael Burgess of Flower Mound, John Culberson of Houston, Louie Gohmert of Tyler, Kay Granger of Fort Worth, Kenny Marchant of Coppell, Mac Thornberry of Clarendon and Randy Neugebauer of Lubbock.

For some, there's an element of payback for Hutchison's willingness to opt out of taking on Perry in 2006, averting a divisive race.

Gohmert has said that one key reason he endorsed Perry that year was because the governor promised not to run again. Others say they were operating under the same assumption but never had an explicit conversation about it with Perry.

Either way, many express discomfort at giving him another term, given his power to stock state boards and commissions with loyalists. He has already served longer than any other Texas governor.

"I have qualms about the number of years," said Granger, though she was more eager to focus on Hutchison's strengths: "She walks into every meeting, and on every issue, she is working for Texas."

Marchant says he promised Hutchison four years ago that he would support her if she waited until Perry's current term ends. "I don't have any animosity toward him. ... We all feel like she has done a great job for Texas," he said.

Few Hutchison backers in Congress are eager to disparage Perry.

"The governor has kept us in a pretty good place in a pretty down economy," said Burgess.

He campaigned hard for Perry in 2002, but by the next election, he said, Perry's push for the Trans-Texas Corridor had soured many of his constituents. Burgess saw a backlash that cost him 15 percentage points in one county the last time Perry was on the ballot.

"I was concerned that if he did run for another term, he would be eminently beatable," Burgess said.

Burgess also agrees with the senator's contention that she, unlike Perry, can revive the Texas GOP. "Our party was unwelcoming and our party was dwindling," he said.

Dallas Rep. Pete Sessions, who is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and is neutral, like Sen. John Cornyn, hopes the Perry-Hutchison fight generates fresh interest rather than divisions.

"We can have a lot of people see two of our best candidates spar over the ideas that will shape the future of Texas," he said.

Brady also shrugged off concerns about a schism. "I watched the primary between Obama and Clinton absolutely rebuild the Democratic Party in Texas," he said.

As for his support for Hutchison, he cited her work on tax cuts and hurricane relief.

"She is remarkably effective," Brady said. "I've never seen anyone produce, with values, so much for Texas."

Todd J. Gillman is Washington bureau chief of The Dallas Morning News.