After more than a year of planning a second run for the Governor's Mansion, humorist Kinky Friedman has dropped out of the governor's race today.
Friedman plans to run for agriculture commissioner instead, the same decision made earlier this month by East Texas rancher Hank Gilbert.
Friedman announced the decision after weekend meetings with the two other candidates in the governor's race: Houston Mayor Bill White and haircare magnate Farouk Shami.
"This has never been about me; this has always been about what is best for the people of Texas and the Democratic Party," Friedman said in a press release. "After my visit with Bill my mind was made up. There is a clear alternative for the people of Texas, and today I'm changing courses with a happy heart. I've determined that the best way that I can help the ticket and serve Texas families is by switching to the Ag Commissioner's race. Former Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Jim Hightower explained how much the office does and how much potential there is to do more."
From Friedman's release, he said he plans "to focus on revamping the position of Agriculture Commissioner to increase the number of farmer co-ops, improve production of biofuels and bioenergy, expand the market for Texas agriculture products, and solidify the future of Texas agriculture through numerous programs, including a doubling of the cap for the Young Farmer Loan Program and defending farmers against eminent domain."
Friedman said he also plans to set up at least one animal rescue facility in each county.
"We're going to shake things up and show folks what the office can be if you have someone there who actually cares about the job," Friedman said.
Friedman has worked in recent months to convince Democrats he is one of them despite running for governor in 2006 as an independent.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment