I’ve noticed a common theme in the coverage of Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn’s hot dog party this weekend. See if you can see what it is.
Strayhorn’s chief political spokesman didn’t return telephone calls Wednesday, but two sources close to the comptroller, who didn’t want to be identified, said she plans to run for governor. There has been speculation she also is interested in the lieutenant governor’s race should Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst seek another office, but the sources said she has decided to run for governor.
[O]ne veteran Republican operative said he expected her to announce a bid for governor. But others with close ties to the GOP said she could use the festive event Saturday to declare her candidacy for lieutenant governor.
A Strayhorn confidante and two political consultants in contact with advisers to Strayhorn said she intends to chase Perry in the March 7 Republican primary. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they didn’t want retribution from Perry or Strayhorn for talking out of turn.
And the confidante said Strayhorn could still shift her sights.
“It’s no secret what she wants to say,” he said. “She could change her mind 15 minutes before she stands up there.”
A consultant close to state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn’s campaign said she intends to announce Saturday that she’s running for governor, making official her long-rumored challenge to incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Perry.
The consultant, who is not in the campaign business and spoke on condition of being unnamed, said that based on what’s been conveyed by Strayhorn’s campaign, “I can say she’s going to announce for governor on Saturday.”
Asked if there’s any doubt, the consultant said, “This might be a trial balloon. There is a remote possibility that this is a bait and switch, but that is not her style. There’s no coyness to what they do.”
Yes, there sure are a lot of anonymous sources running around Austin these days. All I’m saying is would it kill them to compare notes before they go skulking off to leak to the press?
Well, I can speculate baselessly in print, too. And I say that regardless of her odds in the actual contest, there’s no way Strayhorn announces for anything but Governor on Saturday. To do anything else, especially to announce for Lieutenant Governor, would be a major anti-climax, as in “We gave up an hour of our lives on a summer Saturday for that?” CKS hasn’t been bashing Rick Perry for two years so she can run against David Dewhurst, or whatever second-tier Republicans jump in when Dewhurst announces he’s running for KBH’s open Senate seat. She thinks she’s gonna win, and I think there’s a small part of her that doesn’t care if she doesn’t. This is the race she wants, and it’s the race she’s gonna run. Period.
Of course, I could be totally wrong. That’s the problem with baseless speculation. If everything I’ve just written turns out to be wrong, please pretend that it actually all came from an unnamed political consultant, OK?
(Idly amusing thought: Wouldn’t it be funny if CKS announces that she’s running for Senate?)
Or that per the example set by Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes she is converting to Scientology.
We could totally use a Thetan-4 in the governor’s mansion if you ask me…
CKS is running on the religious oppression ticket, right?
I like how she and Perry have been bashing each other via their state government websites. It’s so cute; you’d think maybe they have a crush on each other, or will be facing off in a primary, or something.
What kind of bashing? Stuff like this:
http://www.window.state.tx.us/
Comptroller Strayhorn Drives Motion Making It Crystal Clear Bond Money Not Tied To Toll Roads
(May 5, 2005)
Comptroller Strayhorn To Make Motion That Bond Money Will Not Be Restricted To Toll Roads
(May 4, 2005)
Governor’s Staff Distorting Toll Truths
(May 3, 2005)
Strayhorn Still Waiting For Vital Drug Data
(May 2, 2005)
And from Dick Goodhair Perry:
http://www.governor.state.tx.us
(under press releases)
May. 03, 2005
* Comptroller Runs Away from Recommendations
Good one! :^D Funny thing, though, if Rylander were to announce for KBH’s sure-to-be-open Senate seat rather than the guv’s race, she would have a better chance of winning that one.
But I think the GOP voters will nominate Bonilla. They are ready now to form up the alliance with the hispanics that will rule Texas for a generation.
Yeah, and when Republicans nominate Bonilla over Dewhurst in a GOP primary for US Senate, Rick Perry will start dating Hispanic men.
Wake up, Red Dog. The gop primary vote in Texas is about to get a lot bigger. Bonilla has a chance, if he will take it and run with it. For example, I intend to help see to it that Bonilla carries Galveston county, because this will be good for Texas to have its first hispanic Senator.
Nobody, least of all Dewhurst, has a lock on that nomination, especially with a record turnout generated by the 3-way in the guv race, an influx of hispanic voters from central Texas and Harris county generated by a Bonilla senate candidacy, and an influx of Texas women voters generated by the KBH-CKS race.
Smart local gop candidates in contested races where there are good numbers of hispanic voters will be wise to team up with Bonilla and campaign with him.
For all practical purposes, the 2006 gop primary IS the 2006 election for 2/3 of the federal and all of the statewide non-judicial offices, as well as a comfortable majority of the state house and senate seats. Voters want a say in how these races turn out. The voters did the same thing when the Texas dems were in control years ago.
ttyler5
I’m going to keep looking for the great Hispanic Republican program to take affect, but so far all I see is Attorney General Torture. To be fair, in his bid to become the first Hispanic Mayor of Houston, Orlando Sanchez has set a record as the person spending the most money not to be elected. So those two and and two quarters will buy you a coke.