Gubernatorial Candidate
Carole Keeton Strayhorn
Notes from Evan Smith
"The first thing you should know about Carole Keeton Strayhorn is that she's a grandma. I realize this may be news to you, but the comptroller of public accounts -- once a Democrat, more recently a Republican, now an independent running to toss Rick Perry out onto the street -- has six beautiful granddaughters. If only she would talk about them! Also, although I can't confirm this, apparently she's "tough." Yes, 67-year-old Strayhorn presents endless amounts of material for jerks in the media, who marvel at her rat-a-tat speechifying and relentless campaign style, duck when she throws mud at her opponents, and, let's be honest, gently mock her insistent embrace of her self-given nickname. But the whole ballgame in politics is getting on voters' radar screens, and there's no denying that the Austin native has done so. Attention, as they say, must be paid to a woman who's made a career of being the first -- the first woman elected mayor of Austin, the first woman to lead the Austin school board, and so on. And not just the first, but the top, as in, the top vote-getter of either party on the ballot in 2002, outpolling Perry, David Dewhurst, and John Cornyn. No wonder she thought she could successfully challenge the incumbent governor, whom she clearly dislikes -- and certainly her success at funddraising proves that there are many people out there open to the idea of new leadership. On the other hand, despite pushing for policies more moderate than those seen at the Capitol in quite some time, she hasn't gotten the kind of traction she needs to topple him, partly because four people are vying to be the one doing the toppling. Strayhorn has just a few weeks left to solidify her case. We'll all be watching."
- Evan Smith, Texas Monthly Talks, Broadcast 10.26.06
