I’m not sure what to say about the Chron’s endorsement of Strayhorn for Governor. The two things that pop to mind are “Have these guys been watching the same campaign as I?”, and “Well, at least that keeps intact their string of always endorsing a Republican for Governor”. It’s rather amazing to me that after all this time and all these polls, anyone could still fall for the “only Carole Keeton Strayhorn has the experience and savvy to win election to the governorship”, but there you have it. Talk amongst yourselves here, I got nothin’.
(On a side note, the Chron did at least give us this sidebar with three reasons “why the hell not”. So they haven’t gone completely insane, which just makes the Strayhorn choice that much odder to me.)
UPDATE: Via Greg, the Caller Times makes the right call and goes with Bell.
Bell – thoughtful, open-minded and determined – will face formidable challenges in Austin should he prevail. As noted, he would be a governor from the minority party, and would have to work hard to gain traction and credibility.
However, given Perry’s lackluster record, and given the relative strengths and vulnerabilities of the four candidates, Bell seems the most likely to grow in office – and to address effectively the multiple challenges facing Texas.
That’s more like it.
What did we expect from a group that endorsed Orlando Sanchez?
What is next? John Davis?
Let us not forget that the Chron endorsed George W. Bush, twice. Last time they basically said he had done a totally lousy job but might get it right in a second term. I normally read the Chron endorsement – apparently written by someone who does not read the newspaper they publish – and vote for the other person. Gotta be Chris Bell.
Ok, let’s take a closer look at this. The Houston Chronicle probably knows the top three candidates better than any major paper in Texas. They have likely sat down with Perry, Strayhorn and Bell on many different occasions. Chris Bell served on the Houston City Council. He was also a Congressman from Houston. Perry and Strayhorn have long records that the paper has covered, and each has met with the board many times.
This is an endorsement that should carry some weight, given the fact that they know each candidate so well and that they carefully looked at the agendas and records of each, including sitting down with each and asking the substantive questions that matter.
This gives Strayhorn some good momentum heading into the home-stretch. You gotta know that Perry must be really miffed.