SAN ANTONIO -Houston Mayor Bill White has been a Texas gubernatorial candidate for three days. and he's already talking as if the race is down to him and Gov. Rick Perry.

White kicked off his fIrst week as the strongest Democratic candidate in the fIeld Monday with a campaign stop in his hometown of San Antonio. where he again saved his barbs for Perry while virtually ignoring the other challengers in both parties.

They include U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. who earlier Monday called White a credible candidate after formally fIling her paperwork for the Republican primary. White hasn't exactly returned the compliment, saying Friday that he anticipated Perry winning the GOP primary.

Hutchison's camp said Monday they did not regard White's focus on Perry as a slight. but rather White promoting the matchup he wants in the November 2010 election.

"Rick Perry is who he can beat. Not Kay." said Jennifer Baker. a spokeswoman for Hutchison.

White abandoned his bid for the U.S. Senate last week to run for governor. He said Monday that Hutchison deciding not to resign her Senate seat was -in what White described as Hutchison's own words -"sacrificing some of her prospects in the governor's race."

Asked if that was a poor reflection of Hutchison's character. White didn't take the bait.

"Somebody else can characterize her actions," White said. "That won't be me."

But White didn't hesitate to criticize Perry at a sparsely attended appearance that was mostly a delegation of elected Democrats from the San Antonio area and reporters. Just as he did in announcing his candidacy on Friday, White continued to denounce Perry for high school dropout rates and education.

He also mocked Perry for his antiWashington remarks, again trotting out the line, "1 want to be a governor that makes sure Texas leads this country, not leaves this country" -a swipe at Perry saying earlier this year that Texas could secede.

White, whose parents were teachers, is term-limited as mayor of Texas' largest city after serving three two-year terms. He leaves that offIce at the end of the month.

"We don't need a governor who's out giving running commentary on how they ought to do business in Washington when there is plenty to do right here in Texas," White said.

Perry spokesman Mark Miner said the state has made major improvements to education over the years and will continue doing so. He also said Perry will continue to stand out against "bad policies coming out of Washington" such as an environmental cap-and-trade legislation, which Miner says will eliminate jobs.

"It's unfortunate that Bill White would not do the same," Miner said.

White immediately became his party's strongest candidate with $4 million in his Senate campaign fund that he can transfer to a governor's race fund. White, a wealthy attorney, chipped in more than $1 million himself.

No Democrat has held the Texas governor's offIce since Ann Richards was ousted by George W. Bush in 1994. White is vying for the Democratic nomination in a fIeld that includes Houston hair care executive Farouk Shami, teacher Felix Alvarado and possibly humorist Kinky Friedman.

White did not mention Shami in San Antonio. When asked about reports that Friedman might leave the race, White said, "that's up to him."