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And as we all remember, Hance ran to the right of Dubya ! I wonder if Hance could've won as a Conservative Dem against Phil Gramm in '84 (possibly, but I'll bet a lot of 'Rats would've sat that one out). Despite the claims of the Conservatism of "Lord" Bentsen, there hasn't been a real Conservative Dem. Senator since the ultrabrief tenure of "Dollar Bill" Blakely in '61 (appointed by Price Daniel), who was then defeated by John Tower in the special in June of that year to become the first GOP Senator since Morgan Hamilton in the 1870s. Think Hance could've beat old Ma Richards ?

DJ, Price Daniel, Sr., of Liberty, Texas, was the governor and former senator in 1961, when John Tower won the special election runoff to succeed Lyndon B. Johnson. Tower faced a crowded field in the May special election that included the late future Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez, liberal Maury Maverick of San Antonio, Attorney General at the time Will Wilson, future House Speaker and then Congressman "Fort Worthless" Jim Wright, and Daniel's appointee, William Blakely. Blakely actually served TWO appointed Senate terms. I think Daniel, Sr., appointed him both times. Tower defeated Blakely by a small margin in a special election runoff in June 1961. It was not until after 1957, that TX law required runoffs for special elections.

Daniel, father of the TX sales tax, lost the Democrat primary in 1962 to John B. Connally, who went on to win only narrowly over Republican Jack Cox, a Houston oilman. But in 1964 and 1966, Connally won by margins above 70 percent.

Daniel, Sr., may be the only Texan in modern times who has served in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of TX government. He was a judge after vacating the governorship. And he was a U.S. senator too!

His son, Price, Jr., a former TX House speaker, was killed, possibly by his wife, in the late 1970s. I can't recall the details. ABC did a TV movie of the Daniel, Jr., tragedy.

I think that Kent Hance could have defeated Richards. Unlike "Claytie," he knew when to speak and when to remain silent. Hance is one of those who had a boyhood dream of being governor of TX, but it was not to be.