strayhorn ready to join bell, perry on ballot

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Carole Keeton Strayhorn has turned in 115,000 signatures by stacking twenty-one boxes of completed petitions in a courthouse, well over the required 45,540 signatures required to be placed on the ballot. Strayhorn's attorney, Randall "Buck" Wood, is saying that over 30,000 more signatures are in waiting at campaign headquarters, with over 600 more being signed every single day.

Strayhorn is currently the State Comptroller and is seeking to jump into the gubernatorial race in November. Strayhorn is leaving the Republican Party and hoping to be added to the ballot as an independent candidate. If she is verified by the Secretary of State, she will join Republican Rick Perry, the incumbent governor, and Democratic challenger Chris Bell on the ballot.

But [Wood] said Secretary of State Roger Williams, a Perry appointee, is hurting her campaign by refusing to accept signatures as they are gathered and by certifying every signature rather than following the past practice of using a statistical sample.

Until the petitions are certified, Mr. Wood said, "My client cannot credibly report to the media, people, contributors and volunteers that she is going to be on the ballot."

Mrs. Strayhorn is hoping that U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel will force the Secretary of State to use a statistical sample, which would certify her candidacy much sooner. There is no word yet on how many signatures Kinky Friedman has gathered and whether or not he will meet the May 11 deadline. Strayhorn's attorney compared the campaigns by suggesting that Strayhorn was "soliciting signatures among teachers" with Mr. Friedman "soliciting signatures in bars and dance halls." Mr. Friedman quickly responded: "Whether the signature comes from the country club or the homeless shelter should count exactly the same."