Posted on 12/22/2005 5:15:31 PM PST by anymouse
Assistant: Call to wife of Democrat not made on Strayhorn's behalf
A top aide to Republican gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn called Democratic candidate Chris Bell's wife last week and suggested that Bell drop out of the governor's race and instead run for comptroller.
Strayhorn spokesman Mark Sanders said he told Alison Bell that "there would be support for him" if Chris Bell ran to succeed Strayhorn as comptroller. Sanders said that he and Alison Bell have known each other since they worked on a campaign together 15 years ago and that he wanted to advise his longtime friends that they could not win the governor's race.
Sanders said that the call was not prompted by Strayhorn or any campaign donors and that he was not trying to clear the Democratic field for Strayhorn to switch parties.
"I made this call to Alison on my own out of a sense of concern for them and their family," Sanders said. "And I did not make this call in reference in any way to the comptroller's gubernatorial campaign."
Chris Bell said that he will not run for comptroller and that there was no mention in his wife's conversation with Sanders of Strayhorn running as a Democrat.
Although Sanders said that he did not call on Strayhorn's behalf, the conversation follows a series of signs that Strayhorn's effort to beat Gov. Rick Perry in next year's Republican primary is struggling. Strayhorn has faced questions in recent weeks about whether she would abandon her GOP bid and instead run as an independent, and the campaign has not completely ruled out an independent run. Perry, meanwhile, has been piling up endorsements from conservative activists, trade associations and elected GOP officials.
Bell said it is not unusual for Sanders and his wife to talk.
"They did talk last week, and he mentioned the fact that if I were to exit the governor's race and run for comptroller, he thought there would be some support for me from some unnamed individuals," said Bell, a former congressman from Houston. "And obviously since that was the gist of the conversation, I didn't take it the least bit seriously."
Sanders, who worked for 2002 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Tony Sanchez, said he does not think that Bell can win the governor's race because the state so strongly favors Republicans. "A Democrat will not win in 2006," Sanders said.
Asked why the same logic did not apply to the comptroller's race, in which Republican Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs has been running for months, Sanders said he knew only that Bell could not win the governor's race.
Sanders was not the only operative who called a would-be adversary. Bell spokesman Jason Stanford called Luis Saenz, Perry's campaign director, and told him about the Sanders call.
"Luis and I talk every once in awhile, trying to figure out what in God's name (Strayhorn) is going to do, and we've learned through observation that applying logic is an ineffective means of analyzing her," Stanford said. "He and I have a gentlemen's agreement to campaign aboveboard and do whatever we can to beat each other's boss."
Perry spokesman Robert Black was quick to link the Sanders call to Strayhorn's campaign. "This is just more bizarre, unbalanced behavior from a campaign and a candidate that have no idea what they stand for," Black said.
BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHA
Her "One tough grandma" ads went over like like roast pork at a Bar Mitsva. She might sneak back in as Comptroller, but that's her only chance. She's a liberal Dem with a Republican label.
Texas Republicans have figured out that her party switch was purely cosmetic and she's always remained a Rat.
Ha, ha!
She wears the Republican label as well as she wears a Victoria's Secret thong.
That's one mental image I could have done without.
I don't know who was paying for her ads labeling her as a tough Grandma...but I do know they wasted their money. I'm easy...Rick and I have a deal...I send him money and he sends me a Christmas card and continues to be a Great Governor...
I know Rick and I'm not crazy about his politics but I can reassure you that he's no poof.
Kinky and the Rat Grandma. What a pair.
McCain in a dress.........
She reminds me too much of Anne Richards.
I'll be curious whether Kinky even gets on the ballot. It's not that easy to qualify as an independent. You have to get a ton of valid signatures in a very short period of time.
Just about everyone who has posted on this thread (including me) is probably going to vote for him, but you seem to be his only supporter.
I think the record of the 10 years of Perry leading Texase will show one of great vision, increased freedoms through less taxes, and more accountability for voters and not government officials. He is the only guy in the nation who is working at slowing the growth of big government.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.