Via the AP: Texas Comptroller Will Run for Governor
Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the fast-talking state comptroller who makes sport of chastising Republican Gov. Rick Perry, said Saturday she would challenge the governor in next year’s GOP primary.[...]
Strayhorn, a former Democrat known for her quick and sharp tongue, has been attacking Perry’s leadership and his failure to bring lawmakers to a consensus on public school funding for the past year.
Interesting. I haven’t kept up with Texas politics since leaving in ’98, but I do remember Strayhorn, and find it interesting that Perry find himself with an internal challenge. Some Strayhorn trivia:
Two of her four sons serve in President George W. Bush’s administration. Scott McClellan is White House press secretary, and Dr. Mark McClellan is administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services.
Interestingly, Senator Hutchison has decided not to challenge Perry for the nomination:
On Friday, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced that she will run for a third Senate term, ending months of speculation that she would challenge Perry next year in the GOP primary.
Of course, whoever wins the GOP primary almost certainly wins the governorship.
While no Democrat has formally announced intentions to run, former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell of Houston has said he is considering a bid. Musician and author Kinky Friedman is running as an independent.
My, what a few years have done to the partisan politics of Texas. It wasn’t all that long ago that it was the Democratic primary that would have been the determinative race.
June 18th, 2024 at 9:26 pm
I’m sure Perry did something to tick off the base, but I haven’t been keeping up with it myself. As for hutchinson, why go to the governor’s mansion when she’s got all the power she wants as the senior senator?
I’d vote for Kinky Friedman, though, just to keep it interesting.
June 18th, 2024 at 10:24 pm
Strayhorn has been infighting with Perry for a couple of years — obviously been angling for this a while. She also makes any disagreements high-profile and tries to find the cameras.
No opinion on her one way or the other, otherwise — at least consciously.