Strayhorn, A.K.A., Scott's Mommy, To Run As An Eye ("I")

[kpete]

January 02, 2006
Strayhorn, A.K.A., Scott's Mommy, To Run As An Eye ("I")
The Quorum Report says today that TX comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn will run for governor as an independent.

Strayhorn, a former Dem, had hinted of an independent bid and as recently as Friday, her campaign refused to say what her party allegiance would be come today, which marks the filing deadline in TX.

Strayhorn is the mother of WH press sec. Scott McClellan.

Dems Chris Bell and Bob Grimmage are on the line to challenge GOP Gov. Rick Perry; satirist Kinky Friedman has filed to run as an independent.

There's no guanratee that either Strayhorn or Friedman will land on the ballot; the requirements for ballot access are expensive and onerous for independents in TX.

But -- in one way, Strayhorn's decision confers an advantage. Candidates wanting to run as independents must gather about 46,000 signatures from the pool of voters who don't vote in the primaries. Since the Strayhorn/Perry primary would have been the only race to trigger high turnout, a competition-less GOP primary will enlarge the pool of voters from which Strayhorn and Friedman can collect names.

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/01/scotts_mom_to_r.html

[ellenfl]

1. would that make her a wolf in sheep's clothing? we

certainly don't need any more dinos, or in her case iinos.

ellen fl

[Longhorn]

2. She was a Democrat years ago when she was mayor of Austin.

I'd prefer a real Democrat but she's certainly more competent than Governor Goodhair. And she's a Longhorn, as opposed to an Aggie. ;)

However, I'm a Yellow Dog Democrat so she's not likely to get my vote.

[jburton]

3. Think Scotty will leave the WH to "help out" ?

"leaving to spend more time with his family"

[PDittie]

4. This is good news for ejecting Rick Perry

From Chris Bell's blog:

The race is now going to come down to 3 Republicans and one Democrat. All Chris Bell has to do is get Democrats to vote for a Democrat, and he’ll win. As Burnt Orange Report recently pointed out, One Tough Grandma is One Dedicated Republican, and Kinky Friedman last ran for office as a Republican and is still very much at home with a certain segment of that party, bless their souls. And Rick Perry, he's not going to stop being the High Priest of the Hardliners.

If Chris Bell holds onto the 37% that voted for John Kerry in 2004, and the 40% that voted for Tony Sanchez in 2002, he wins, because a plurality of votes of that approximate percentage will elect the next Governor of Texas.