Thread: Carole Keaton Strayhorn to run for TX Governor in 2006

By APRIL CASTRO, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jan 2, 5:52 PM ET



AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn turned her back on the Republican Party and announced Monday she will run for governor as an independent.

ADVERTISEMENT

The move allows Strayhorn to escape a potentially ugly primary battle against Gov. Rick Perry. The GOP primary is set for March 7.

Strayhorn, who calls herself "One Tough Grandma," has been a harsh critic of Perry's leadership over the past couple of years. Monday's announcement all but guarantees Perry will be the Republican candidate on the November ballot.

"I am a Republican," she said. "But I know we must set partisan politics aside and do what's best for Texas. That is why I am running for governor as a Texas independent."

Robert Black, a campaign spokesman for Perry, said the party switch is an admission that Strayhorn could not win the GOP primary, and he called the move "transparent political opportunism."

If elected, Strayhorn would be the first independent Texas governor since Sam Houston nearly 150 years ago.

To be listed as an independent on the November ballot, a candidate must gather 45,540 signatures in the spring from registered voters who did not vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary or any primary runoff in April.

On the Democratic side, the main candidates for governor are former Rep. Chris Bell (news, bio, voting record) and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Bob Gammage.

Strayhorn said of Perry: "He has given us higher property taxes, bigger government, higher insurance rates, toll roads, has abandoned our border and ignored our broken schools."

Both Strayhorn and Perry are former Democrats who switched to the GOP in the 1980s as the party rose to political dominance.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060102/ap_ ... N1YmNhdA--

This is awesome news. I communicated with her campaign manager recently and she is square against illegal immigration.

But if she has decided to step away from the Republican ticket and run as an Independent, that must mean something.

Perhaps TX will become the first state to have third party representation.

Outstanding!!!

I'lll bet she would place a call to the Texas National Guard and secure your borders...in a heartbeat is my guess.

With TX having the longest border with our southern neighbor, I feel like whoever governs it is in a good position to change things if they only will. And I feel a lot better knowing who I'm going to vote for this far ahead of time.

There are now two major seats with Independent candidates--the senator and the governor. I'm not sure if our house seat comes up this year or not but I don't think so.

They are all coming out to announce their intent to run and I've not seen anything about Reyes so I guess we are stuck with him--and he loves illegal immigrants but wants the border secured--or so he says.