Strayhorn trial balloon?

Peggy Fikac, SAEN:

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."

There has been some speculation that Strayhorn, a Republican who has long and clearly signaled her interest in the governor’s race, might instead run for lieutenant governor if U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison jumps into the GOP primary for governor.

Like the anonymous "consultant" who "is not in the campaign business" (er, ok, so why is this consultant trustworthy?), I'm not convinced Strayhorn's announcement is set in stone.

You might recall that both then-Land Commissioner Dewhurst and then-Supreme Court Justice Greg Abbott were running for lite guv at about this point in the 2002 cycle. When then-Senator Phil Gramm decided to retire in early September 2001, then-Attorney General Cornyn jumped to the Senate race. That prompted Abbott to switch to the Attorney General post that he now holds.

The point is: voters -- even primary voters -- don't particularly care at this point. If Strayhorn announces for governor, then there's some improved chance that she might keep KBH out of the governor's race. But if KBH jumps into the race, Strayhorn can still switch races. Given the celerity with which Strayhorn has office-hopped before, there's no reason to think she might not race-hop this cycle.

Posted by Evan @ 06/15/05 04:56 PM

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Comments

office AND party hopped...remember..she used to be a D.

Posted by casey @ 06/15/05 05:57 PM

Thank goodness a leader, Strayhorn, who is tougher than most, will run against Perry, whose leadership is virtually noexistent.

Posted by mark @ 06/15/05 07:21 PM

She switched long before Rick Perry. While Strayhorn was running as a Republican for Congressman in 1988, Rick Perry was working for Al Gore against George Bush.

Posted by thefactjack @ 06/15/05 08:39 PM

Actually, I think she won the GOP Congressional Primary in 1986, when Perry was still a Democrat state representative.

Sorry, I'm getting old.

Posted by thefactjack @ 06/15/05 08:41 PM

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