Kinky Friedman, Brownwood, Independent Politicians

Friday, February 4, 2005

Singer Kinky Friedman begins run for Texas governor
By RALPH BLUMENTHAL
THE NEW YORK TIMES

HOUSTON -- As threatened, Kinky Friedman, the gadfly country singer and humorist, declared for Texas governor yesterday as an independent candidate in the 2006 race, saying, "The choice should be something besides paper or plastic."

Appearing live from the Alamo in San Antonio on the Don Imus television and radio show broadcast nationally on MSNBC, Friedman, 60, said that although "a fool and his money are soon elected," he had high hopes of beating the Republican incumbent, Rick Perry, who "appears to be more interested in ironing his shirts than ironing out the problems of Texas."

"I'm a Jew," said Friedman, who provided a rabbi for an invocation, "trust me; I'll hire good people." He said he had received 37 write-in votes in the Iraqi election.

Luis Saenz, director of Texans for Rick Perry, responded that "Kinky has the potential to enliven the debate" but he added, "It appears that the Democrats are not the only ones who have been smoking something."

Clad in his trademark black cowboy outfit and hat and chewing on a cigar, Friedman, whose given name is Richard, said he had chosen the Alamo backdrop "to wake up the great slumbering giant of Texas independence" and change the state's position as "No.1 in executions" and near the bottom in financing public education. He said he was not anti-death penalty -- "just anti the wrong guy getting executed."

"I come with no strings attached," he said. "The only two things that influence me are my fellow Texans and my heart."

Friedman said in an interview in 2003 that he hoped to avenge his 1986 defeat for justice of the peace in Kerrville, his hometown, where he runs an animal rescue ranch and writes mystery novels and a column for Texas Monthly magazine.

To get on the ballot he needs 45,000 signatures, none from anyone voting in a Republican or Democratic primary. But he voiced confidence, saying, "There's so much apathy; that leaves me a lot of people."


source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/210720_kinky04.html

visit his site @ http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/

Billy Calzada / Associated Press
Kinky Friedman greets Rick Pratt and his dog, Shorty, on Thursday after Friedman announced his candidacy during a gathering in front of The Alamo.
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Kinky mounts bid for governor

February 4, 2005

Who: Kinky Friedman, writer and entertainer.

What: On Thursday, he announced his candidacy for Texas governor

Political affiliation: None.

Getting on the ballot: He'll have up to two months in 2006, following the March primary, to collect 45,540 valid signatures on petitions to get him on the ballot later in the year as an independent. That's 1 percent of the votes cast in the November 2002 governor's race.

But according to filing rules, signatures he collects can't come from people who voted in that primary. And if there's a primary runoff, the signature period shrinks to 30 days after the runoff.

In his words: ''I call for the unconditional surrender of Rick Perry,'' he told about 200 friends and supporters and likening his journey to boarding a pirate ship.

On some other matters, he said, ''Read my lips: I don't know.''

Recap: Kinky Friedman, clad in blue jeans, a black Western shirt, a black leather fringed jacket, a black cowboy hat and puffing on a Cuban cigar, stood Thursday in front of the Alamo at dawn to make the formal announcement of his bid to unseat incumbent Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican.

Friedman, who is Jewish, got a prayer from a rabbi, a song from singer and songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, and ''The Yellow Rose of Texas'' from a group of small children playing violins and another song from the Western swing group Asleep at the Wheel.

- Associated Press

source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_state/article/0,1874,ABIL_7974_3522431,00.html