Filing news: Rhettmania!

The silly season gets a little sillier.

Rhett Smith, a security guard who last year ran as a Republican for governor, filed Friday to seek the 2008 Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Assuming his paperwork holds up, he'll join a Democratic field including state Rep. Rick Noriega of Houston, educator Ray McMurrey of Corpus Christi and perennial aspirant Gene Kelly of Universal City.

Yet Smith has another longshot prospect in sight; he's suing the state of New Hampshire in hopes of landing on that state's presidential primary ballot. Voting there takes place Jan. 8.

"I'd rather be president," Smith said.

[...]

Smith, 57, was the 2004 Democratic U.S. House nominee challenging Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio. He subsequently ran in the non-partisan race for mayor of San Antonio.

While running for governor last year, Smith told an American-Statesman reporter: "I am comfortable with the Republican Party." Asked Friday about his switch back to the Democratic side of the ballot, Smith said party officials "might not like it, but I can run in whichever party I want."

Hard to imagine someone outdoing Gene Kelly for Least Serious Candidate on the Senate ballot, but Rhett's the man for the job. They don't come much more marginal than him.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on December 31, 2007 to Election 2008